Little Slave Girl
by Piccolo's Love Slave
Summary: ~*~ Piccolo discovers a hurt girl his thinks is a child, he takes her back to the Lookout for Dende to heal, but where did she come from and why was she all beat up? ~*~
1. A Discovery Most Unusual

He'd been out scouting, alone, as usual. Actually, he'd used the excuse that he needed to check things out around the Son residence and the surrounding buildings to get as far away from Chi Chi's horrid piercing screams at her husband and child. Her voice still caused his sensitive ears to ring from the inside out.  
  
Gah! He thought as he flew as far from the house as he could, his large, white cape billowing out behind him like a proud banner, How can he stand that female?!  
  
As he paused in the air, far enough away that Chi Chi's voice now only sounded like a muffled hum and felt something entirely different. A slight sense of someone's ki. He turned about slowly in mid-air, focusing, trying to hone in on it.  
  
The signal was faint, seeming to flicker in and out, as if the person behind the energy was struggling to stay alive. Piccolo finally pinpointed it and spun in mid-air towards it, flying at a break-neck speed. Whoever it was, he had no intention of just flying on by why it died needlessly.  
  
The time he'd spent with Gohan during his training and in between really seemed to have left it mark. Otherwise, he would have just as soon left the creature to it's fate, whatever that may be. He cursed himself for a fool and touched his fingers to his forehead, flickering out of sight..  
  
.And materializing in front of a very young girl. She was half concealed by the small underbrush she'd tried to crawl into and as he stared down at her, she cringed inwardly in terror. Her long dark hair tangled about her arms and the branches of the brush about her. Her clothing was torn and he could see her fair skin though the gaps in her clothing.  
  
She blinked large dark eyes, eyes that reminded him of his own for some odd reason, save for the fear lurking within their depths, and he noticed a nasty cut running across her forehead and another along her jaw.  
  
As he looked at her, he also saw that her body was bruised and bloody in other places as well. She made a kind of squeaking noise between her teeth and he was a little shocked to notice that they weren't normal teeth. She had fangs much like his!  
  
"Don't be afraid of me." He commanded, though the way he said it would make any creature fearful of it's life, she jerked away, tangling herself up more, and whimpered like a caught animal. Piccolo also noticed, where her hair fell away from her head on one side, that her ears were long and tapered to a delicate point. So, she was certainly not human.  
  
** Geez, Piccolo, scare the kid half to death, why don't ya?! **  
  
"Shut up, Nail." Piccolo muttered under his breath, thankfully, the girl didn't seem to hear.  
  
He softened his tone and bent down on one knee to gaze at her at her level, to make her more comfortable, "Don't be afraid.what happened to you? Can you talk?"  
  
Slowly she inched forward, her hair ripping where it was caught by the branches of the bushes, but she didn't seem to mind, she didn't even wince. She came within an inch of him and looked very closely at him. Finally, she fell backwards, eye closed.  
  
Piccolo gasped and leaned over her, afraid she was dead! He felt along her slender neck and wrist, praying to gods not his own that he'd find.  
  
A pulse! He thought as he lifted the pitifully small body into his strong, capable arms and began to lift them both into the air. What am I doing?! He asked himself, as he felt her body, small and childlike.he thought she must be a child.pressed against his chest as he carried her. She so cold.I hope.  
  
** This is so stupid! Why are you doing this? Where are you even going to take her?! Back to Goku and Chi Chi's? Yeah, right! "Here, I found another kid for you to yell at, Chi Chi!" **  
  
Piccolo merely growled at the inner voice of one of the namekians he had the displeasure of being fused with. He didn't mind the extra strength and dexterity.but, he could do without the constant commentary.  
  
** But, I thought you liked our little talks? **  
  
Shut up, old man!  
  
** So, where are you going with the kid, huh? ** Nail butted in to ask, ** Haven't thought of any place, have ya? She's dying you know. Not much time left by the way her ki keeps flickering in and out.**  
  
"All right!" Piccolo yelled, his burden wriggled some in shock at his voice and suddenly outburst, but didn't otherwise wake up, "Enough! I know where I'm taking her!"  
  
".cold." She muttered in her sleep.faintly. Piccolo realized that time was short and made a quick decision.  
  
"Hold on, Kiddo." He said, even though she was beyond hearing or understanding, she shivered with more than just the cold now creeping along her body, trying to make her it's own.  
  
Piccolo, still in mid-flight, wrapped his cape about her and flared up a ki bubble around them both, warmth issuing from it like a steambath, trying to keep her as warm as he could until he reached his destination.  
  
~*~*~  
  
  
  
"Piccolo!" Dende, standing on the edge of the Lookout, watching the summer bright afternoon clouds passing, a favorite game of his, and one he would never venture to admit to anyone else, was trying to come up with different shapes and stories for each passing cloud. It was fun and passed the time.  
  
Being Guardian of the Earth may sound important, and it was, but it could also be extremely dull, was the first to spot the other, larger namek and his cargo.  
  
Piccolo landed in front of Dende, unwrapped his cloak and revealed the girl to him. Dende winced outwardly at her marks and cuts, obviously a sign of some deliberate harm. She was so small he wondered who could have done such a thing to such a tiny creature? Surely, she posed no threat!  
  
** Tell him to quit staring and get to healing! ** Nail yelled inside Piccolo's head. Piccolo winced but ignored him. To Dende he asked, "Do you think.she.?"  
  
"Might live?" Dende asked in return, gathering his power up into himself and holding out his hands to her, one over her heart, beating slowly, sporadically, the other over her forehead, to lessen the pain. "I don't know."  
  
As Piccolo held her, Dende continued to dive deep into his healing magic, pouring all of it and himself into the small, half-dead ragdoll of a girl in the other namek's arms. A golden aura formed about them and seemed to possess the power to heal just by itself. After a very long moment, Dende sagged to the floor, spent, and held up one hand.  
  
"She...she should be all right." He gasped, between breaths, it was difficult, just after a particularly hard healing.especially when one's body had all ready prepared itself to die.fighting death was always a daunting task that left the little namekian with little to no strength.  
  
"I'll go find her a bed." Piccolo said, walking away with the girl still, though now warm and breathing regularly, her ki signature seemed stronger, more steady now, and the bruising and cuts no longer marred her features, though, he noticed Dende could do nothing for the long scar across her forehead or the one which ran from the corner of her mouth to bottom of her chin.  
  
He found a relatively comfortable looking bed and laid her down upon the flowered red and green bedspread. Almost as an afterthought he removed her soiled and ripped clothing, which had been a tunic much like the one's boys of earth used to wear and a pair of leggings. Her feet had been bare. As he looked at her laying there, exposed, he realized that she was not the child he'd first took her to be.  
  
** Quit staring and materialize her some new clothes, baka! ** Nail bite off inside his head.  
  
Quickly, Piccolo summoned an outfit much like own dark purple gi and hurriedly dressed her, a flush forming across his cheeks and nose as he did so, tucking her under the covers and sheets afterwards. Almost as an afterthought he summoned a pair of shore akin to his own, only smaller, and placed them beside the bed next to her. Then, to Nail's snickering, he left her to her rest.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Dende was resting as well, though his natural namekian restoration abilities had kicked in and he was already feeling much better. Mr. Popo handed him a large glass of ice water and he smiled at the black man in gratitude, downing the clear, cool liquid in a few fast gulps.  
  
He saw Piccolo emerge from one of the many hallways and rejoin them. He couldn't avoid the obvious questions in both their eyes. He saw down, crossed legged in mid-air and closed his eyes, for just a moment, then re- opened them to focus on Dende. "I found her like that. I don't know what happened to her. I don't even know why I brought her here.to you. I don't even know her name!"  
  
"Her name is Rowyn." Dende said, "I felt her name as I was healing her.sometimes, it happens."  
  
"Rowyn?" Piccolo mused, "Like the tree.?"  
  
** I think that's Rowan.** Nail offered, ** Different spelling.**  
  
"I think so," Dende said, "Though she looks more like a willow to me."  
  
"No, Rowyn's a good name for her," Piccolo said, warming to it, "It's different. I like it."  
  
** you would! **  
  
** Shut up, old fool! No one asked you! **  
  
Piccolo winced by kept silent. He should be used to their constant bickering by now. After informing Dende and Mr. Popo that he'd be back to check on the girl, he took off. 


	2. Little Slave Girl

Piccolo had nearly made it back to the Son residence, where he thought he'd ask Goku if he wanted to come out with his son, Gohan and spar for a little bit, when suddenly he had to stop to keep from crashing into the person who had flown up in front of him.  
  
She was small, lithe and quick, golden hair trailed down her back and feather-adorned plaits swept at her long tapered ears. About her forehead she wore a bandana, as much to keep her hair from falling into her piercing azure eyes as part of her own personal style.  
  
She wore a dark blue tunic and brownish-red leggings, a cloak billowed out behind her and she carried a sword covered with obscure elven runes which had been in her family for generations, sheathed and strapped to her back. There was no doubt that she knew how to use it, too!  
  
What one noticed first about her, however, aside from her pointed ears, a gift of her elfin heritage, was the sense that she had overcome great mental and emotional hardships and the calm within her now was a fragile as it was hardwon, was the deep gashing scar which ran from her forehead over right eye and straight down from the bottom of her eye to the middle of her cheek.  
  
She also seemed a bit unsure of herself and Piccolo felt bad often at times when her light eyes, a result of her parents mating out of status, (a/n: See Vicky's fan-fiction for a more detailed explaination of High and Low class elves.) held a flicker of fear that she was going to disappointment him in some way.  
  
"Ryven!" Piccolo said her name as she crossed her arms, "Watch where your going."  
  
"Don't you even remember?" She asked, raising one pale eyebrow, looking a bit hurt, "Don't tell me you've forgotten!?"  
  
Piccolo searched his mind frantically, even asking Nail and Kami for aide, though, just like them, they'd chosen just this moment to be silent, curse them!, for anything he might have forgotten.and came up empty handed.or headed, as the case may be.  
  
"You did forget!" Ryven pouted, floating in front of him, Piccolo couldn't stand the crestfallen look on her face, "The one year I decide to celebrate my birthday.you go and forget it! How could you?!"  
  
"Ryven, I." Suddenly Piccolo had an idea, it was lame one, to be honest with himself, but it was only one he could think of at the spur of the moment. He just needed to stall for time, actually.He took her hand and began to fly with her back to the Lookout. "I have something you need to see."  
  
"Why?" Ryven asked, grasping his hand tightly in her own. This being had been like a father to her when her own had passed on, she loved him with the strength of will that a daughter might love a parent, and Piccolo felt the same for her. He would protect her will his dying breath and she would the same for him, "What is it?"  
  
"You'll see." They flow onward in comfortable silence, each one content just to be within the other's company that no words seemed necessary. It had almost always been that way between them, after Ryven had grown up a bit, that is.  
  
They reached the Lookout and Dende greeted them both, smiling at the little elfin girl who had been Piccolo's steadfast companion for as long as she'd been around.which was a very long time now, though only if you were human.Dende put a finger to his lips and looked over his shoulder at the doorway which led to the bedroom Rowyn was asleep in to indicate that she hadn't yet awoken.  
  
Piccolo nodded. ** What is it? ** Ryven sent to Piccolo and Dende, curiously.  
  
** Come with me, ** Piccolo sent to Ryven, ** Just be quiet.**  
  
They walked on cat's feet to the bedroom door and Ryven peered in. She saw the little woman-child, an elf from the look of the pointed ears, curled up into herself on the large bed. Her dark hair hid most of her features from view but as she crept closer she could make out very small bones and a body that looked as if it hadn't seen a decent meal in who knows how long.  
  
She reached out her hand to gently shove a strand of her tangled hair from her face and noticed that this girl too had scarring upon her face. She had no doubts that she also had some about her body as well, though she didn't venture to look. She realized the girl was dressed like Piccolo and turned one raised eyebrow towards him for an explanation.  
  
** Her other clothing was ruined ** He sent, shrugging ** It's was all I could think of, at the moment.**  
  
The child, who Ryven noticed wasn't a child, just a younger elf than herself, stirred under her touch. Quickly pulling her hand away lest the other have the thought to bite at it, Ryven watched the her from a safe distance. Rowyn opened her eyes slowly, as if she were afraid it would hurt to do so.  
  
She felt the comfortable mattress of the bed she had been placed upon, the full fluffiness of the soft pillow behind her head and felt her body mentally for the wounds she knew should have still be there and hurting. But, oddly, they were not and she was not hurting.  
  
Fear entered her heart once more as she thought that they must have found her.they must have found her and healed her to begin her punishment anew.She sat up in the bed and half crawled, half-scooted to the end of it, her back against a wall, her mouth open in a silent scream.  
  
Ryven and Piccolo both had never seen fear like her's. They felt for her and wanted to help. Ryven opened her hands, palms upwards in a gesture of helplessness, towards the frightened one.  
  
** She's a scared a baby rabbit ** Ryven sent to Piccolo, who was observing from the doorway, ** What in kami's name could have happened to her? **  
  
** Y-you send! ** Ryven's mind was suddenly bombarded by the girl's own mindtouch, filled with all the girl's fear and making Ryven stagger at the strength of it.  
  
"Y-yes," She stuttered, aloud, instead, not wanting to feel the girl's terror-addled sending again so soon, "W-we can. We aren't here to hurt you. Can you tell us what happened?"  
  
For the first time, the girl looked around, seeming to notice her strange surroundings, the odd clothing she wore. She remembered her tattered pant and tunic outfit. She breathed a sigh that held all the terror of before as it escaped her small mouth before she turned her eyes, once more, like shining pools of black waters, upon Ryven.  
  
Only, this time, Ryven and Piccolo both noticed, the look within her eyes was one more akin to worship. She scambled off the bed and threw herself upon the floor in front of Ryven, her arms over her head in a protective gesture. Ryven wasn't quite sure what to make of this sudden change of behavior. She waited for the girl to say something.  
  
"Y-you.must have saved me!" She cried out, "I am forever in your debt! Mistress!"  
  
Ryven looked from the elf on her knees before her and back to Piccolo, who shrugged, wide-eyed. He'd merely brought her here to show her the girl in the hopes that she, an elf like Ryven, may one day become a companion for the girl, who too often ran like a lone wolf, much like himself.  
  
"Well, actually, I didn't." Ryven began, "Papa.Piccolo.found you and he."  
  
"Oh, Master!" Rowyn cried, turning towards Piccolo, who looked at a loss as to what do, "Forgive me! Of course it was you who saved me! Oh, please spare me your wrath.!"  
  
Ryven bent down and touched the girl's cheek, tracing a finger down to her chin. She felt her tremble under her touch, the fear not entirely gone. She lifted the girl's chin so that she had to look up and into a sitting position. Ryven looked into her dark eyes and shook her head at her, "No one's going to harm you, Rowyn.that's your name, right?"  
  
Rowyn seemed taken aback by the kindness in Ryven's touch and in her azure eyes, never before had one of her Masters shown her the lest bit of softness. Ever since she'd been captured as an infant.  
  
"Y-you're.not." She stumbled over the words, trying to avert her eyes from Ryven's. Always before, meeting the eyes of a Higher One meant a swift cuff across the ears at the lest, a week without food locked in the her room at the most. She did not wish to anger them first thing! ".going to.?"  
  
"No." Ryven said, "Whatever happened to you is not going to happen to you here. Understand?"  
  
Rowyn nodded, her dark locks falling over her face. Ryven smiled, "Good. I'm glad we finally understand each other."  
  
~*~*~  
  
The days pass, Rowyn, it is soon discovered, is even more pretty after she's been properly cleaned up and fed. Mr. Popo takes a special liking to her quiet ways and enjoys telling her stories as she sits in rapt attention, eyes wide and taking in everything like a child who thinks it's all just a soap bubble fantasy that will pop at any moment and leave her dirty and broken in the darkness of the forest awaiting her death once more.  
  
But, for all of Mr. Popo's interesting tales and wisdoms, Rowyn will always beg his pardon and leave him quickly at the sight of the other, white- blonde elf who often came and went with the large, green one she'd discovered was something called a namek whose name was Piccolo.  
  
She still thought of Ryven as her Mistress, much to Ryven's exasperation who had been trying to get the girl to treat her as a friend and equal. The thought just seemed as out of place in her mind as Piccolo would seem a sea of Mr. Popos. She just wasn't use to anything else.  
  
"Ryven! Mistress!" Rowyn ran after the other elf, no longer afraid of her, but still treading about her as if she thought of Ryven as a Goddess of sorts, albeit a kind Goddess, "I've missed you! Where have you been?"  
  
"Rowyn." Ryven smiled at the other girl, hugged her briefly, "You've got to stop calling me Mistress. Call me Ryven from now on, please?"  
  
Rowyn looked startled, actually shocked, she held one hand to her small breasts and gasped, "B-but, Mistress! T-that would be.be.I can't do it!"  
  
Ryven sighed, hating the position this put her in. But she knew that the girl knew nothing other than being the subordinate one and how to serve, so she voiced her desire in a demand rather than a plea. "Rowyn," She said, "You will address me as Ryven. I command you."  
  
"Yes, M-uh-Ryven!" Rowyn nodded, and Ryven smiled, taking her hand, she said, "Come with me, Rowyn, I have something to show you."  
  
Piccolo, watching from some distance, smiled to himself.  
  
** Looks like you bought yourself a little time, water-for-brains. ** Nail chuckled, ** She even forgot her birthday! **  
  
** It's not as if she ever really celebrated them before, after all, Nail. **  
  
** Hehe, lucky girl, Ryven's probably lapping up being practically worshiped by that little elf! **  
  
"Ryven's not like that!" Piccolo said aloud, "The other elf will be good for her. She'll have a friend of her own gender...and age." He stopped himself before he said it, her own species.  
  
** Aren't you afraid of losing her? **  
  
"Shut up, Old man!" Piccolo growled, "You know that could never happen! She's my child! We've shared blood.!"  
  
** So, are you going to adopt another, then? ** Nail asked, his voice inside Piccolo's head dripping sarcasm, ** Why stop there? I'm sure if you looked, you could find a lot more parentless little girls to take under your cape and adopt. Why, you could open up your own daycare center.**  
  
"Baka!" Piccolo roared at him and flew off, leaving Ryven to do as she pleases with the smaller elf. 


	3. Lessons In Passing

Ryven led Rowyn towards a beautiful enclosed greenhouse which grew just about every species of plant, both alien and earthly, known through the universe.  
  
Blooms of various hues against glossy green foliage and bare brown entwining limbs grew upwards to drape like a canopy on the inside of the dome-like glass walls and ceiling.  
  
Rowyn paused in the doorway to admire the garden where everything seemed to grow wild and free. There were no straight rows of plants here, everything mixed and mingled with each other, flowing vines with pretty white blossoms embraced tree limbs like lovers and the occasional weed squeezed in among the roses like a outcast friend come home. It was chaotic, to be certain, but there held a large amount of harmony to that chaos as well.  
  
Ryven, always having preferred the outdoors to any place else, assumed the other elf felt the same. She knew that it was too soon to take her back down to the ground so she thought this indoor greenhouse, this garden grown under an artificial sun, for there were grow lights mounted throughout the area, would be nearly like the real thing and help to breach the barrier of fear which still held her at an arm's length from the other girl.  
  
She wanted Rowyn to open up, to trust her. More than that, she wanted to be the girl's friend. Someone she could trust. Someone she wouldn't feel afraid to come to and confide in. Ryven could feel that a friend was something very alien to this little rabbit of an elf.  
  
"Oooh!" Rowyn exclaimed, she ran to a small, very tender flower with petals of various hue, seeming to change all the time by the way the light shone upon it, "Look! It's so pretty!"  
  
Ryven looked over Rowyn's shoulder at the flower she'd discovered and an odd taste hit the back of her throat. She realized that she recognized that flower, thought not from the greenhouse.a coldness crept up her spine.She knew that blossom! How in the world it had gotten into the greenhouse she'd never know.! She started to reach out to Rowyn, to pull her away.!  
  
"Get away from that, Rowyn!" She cried, but the other girl seemed not to hear her, for once, however this was not the time to start ignoring her commands! "Rowyn!"  
  
"Such a pretty, perfect little flower." Rowyn muttered, admiring it from all angles, the colors of the blossom faded in an out, and spiraled around in various shades and hues, patterns and shapes, making her dizzy just by staring, "I could watch it all day.I wonder."  
  
She reached out her hand, to touch the wondrous bloom, growing there all alone, all the other plants around it having died and gone back to the soil. Ryven made a swift move and grabbed her by her shoulder, yanking her backwards.  
  
She ran up to the flower, which was now not pretty in the least as it's center had broken apart in three separate directions and a huge maw had forced itself outward from that disrupted center, open and gaping, rows upon rows of needle-sharp teeth waiting, gashing, seeking blindly it's prey.  
  
With a quick swipe of her sword, Ryven severed the horrid mouth and watched in disgust as it plopped from the flower's stem, leaving it quivering there, headless, in pain.  
  
Quickly, for she knew that the flower would only grow a second blossom just as fast as it's first was cut off, Ryven used her sword's sharp point to slash as the ground and dig up the roots of the offending plant. Once she'd gotten it all, she carried it to the incinerator and threw it all in, dirt and all.  
  
"W-what was that?" Rowyn asked from where she'd fallen after Ryven had shoved her away, "Ryven?"  
  
"A Kaleidoscope plant," Ryven replied, drying her blade off on her pants and re- sheathing it, "It's changing colors and patterns draws the prey in, hypnotizing it somewhat until it either bends down to try and sniff it or reaches out to touch it. Then, it strikes! Thought, how in the world one got in here is beyond me!"  
  
"I.I didn't know." Rowyn said, feeling slow and stupid next to this beautiful, graceful and capable elf. "I'm sorry."  
  
"No, it's okay, Rowyn," Ryven said, "But didn't you feel it's ki? Didn't you feel how it felt...negative.?"  
  
"Ki?" Rowyn looked up, confused, "What is that?"  
  
"It's the essence, the life energy which surround all living beings," Ryven tried to explain, she wasn't very good at teaching things, at least she never thought she was, "If you try hard enough you can feel the ki around you from other beings...animals, even plants.  
  
Sometimes inanimate object like chairs or a table has a ki signature around it left over like a residue after people have been using it. Some things, like dangerous plants, emit a negative-feeling ki that acts kinda like a warning device to other creatures who may intend it harm.see.here.I'll show you."  
  
Rowyn listened raptly as Ryven talked, the watched as she held out her hands and after a moment or two her fingers began to glow. Rowyn gasped as she stared at the other elf's hands. After a few more moments, the glow grew into a shape and became large and circular. Ryven held it out on both upturned palms, turning to show Rowyn.  
  
"What is it?" Rowyn asked, eyes wide, the orb floating inches from Ryven's palms reflecting back at her through the darkness of the younger elf's eyes.  
  
"A ki ball," Ryven said, and pulled the orb back into herself, dissipating it as swiftly as she had created it, "You can make one too. Go on, try it."  
  
Rowyn looked at her hands, uncertain. "I.I'm not sure."  
  
"It's easy!" Ryven said, "Look at your hands, but don't really look at them, think about all the energy you have inside you, like how your body seems to tingle when you touch certain objects. Feel that energy and explore upon it, get to know it. Then, when your ready, pull it all up from inside you, focus it upon the place you wish it to be, the shape you wish it to take."  
  
After a few tense moments, a small, flickering orb about the size of a fingernail shimmered upon Rowyn's palm. She turned to see how Ryven was watching her and the small ball disappeared when she looked back. Disappointed, Rowyn hung her head.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Rowyn," Ryven smiled, "Just practice and you'll get it. That actually wasn't bad for your first try."  
  
"You've shared something with me," Rowyn said, shyly, "Now I wish to share something with you."  
  
Ryven, heel-sitting beside her, waited. Rowyn reached into the neckline of the gi Piccolo had provided for her and pulled out a chain. It glittered like white-gold, but looked brighter than any normal gold.  
  
Upon it's end dangled a locket in the space of a leaf, also crafted of the same strange metal. She opened the locket and instead of seeing two old photographs, as she had expected, two holograms flooded out and stood a few feet away.  
  
One, an older elven woman with hair dark and wavy, trailing down to her feet, was holding a little girl elf by her hands and twirling her around in a circle, both had smiles of laughter on their faces.  
  
The other hologram showed a stout young male elf, a bow and quiver of arrows held in his hands. He was smiling at the woman and child, obvious love and pride upon his face.  
  
They flickered in and out as if Rowyn had often watched these scenes play out. "They were my parents," Rowyn said, watching them, she pointed to the little girl, "And that was me. Before.before they were killed and I.I was taken away."  
  
"Rowyn."  
  
"Wasn't I cute?" Rowyn asked, ignoring Ryven's attempt at sympathy, at empathy, really, for she knew what it was to lose a loved one, "Look how pretty Mother looked."  
  
"Yes, she.was very pretty," Ryven said, "Rowyn, how is that none of us found this on you when you were.sleeping..?"  
  
"Oh," Rowyn said, closing the locket and ending the holograms with a zzpt kind of sound, she tucked it back into her clothing, the chain disappeared against the girl's fair skin,"It was made for me by my only friend.a dwarf smith who used to make all the armor and weapons for them." Ryven still had no clue as to who these people were Rowyn kept referring to, but she thought that there would be time enough to dwell into that later,  
  
"He had been captured, too, like me, only he'd been half-grown when he'd been taken, because they needed him to know his trade.  
  
He had a magical mythril tunic which someone had left for him to fix a hole got in battle and then the wearer was killed himself, leaving the tunic ownerless.  
  
The dwarf melted the tunic down, and decided to make of it what he always longed to make even though he was forced to make things of war.  
  
He made pretty trinkets and jewelry. He made me this locket and unbeknown to either of us, the magic within the tunic still lay within each of the pieces of jewelry he'd created out of it.  
  
It turns invisible to both the eye and the touch whenever I am not actively touching it. He also helped me with the installation of the holochips as well. It's my most prized possession and I haven't shown it anyone other than the dwarf who made it for me."  
  
"Thank you, Rowyn," Ryven said, "For showing it to me."  
  
Rowyn blushed and grew silent. She hadn't talked so much at one time since before she'd been captured! Somehow, she felt different, comfortable around this other elf, almost as if she had somehow stumbled upon a long lost sister of sorts.  
  
"Are you hungry?" Ryven asked, feeling and hearing her stomach growl, "I am! Come on! Let's go see what we can scrounge up around here!"  
  
Rowyn nodded and followed, still more comfortable being led. Well, Ryven thought, at least she's opening up more. One thing at a time. 


	4. Mending The Heart

A/N: I am going to plug a fellow writer here for a moment. Her name is Vicky Baker and she is where Ryven came from originally. Her work is some of the greatest Piccolo-related writing I have ever had the pleasure of reading and she needs more readers and reviews of her work. She doesn't have a ff.net account, but she just got one on www.mediaminer.org Please, if you love me, and I know you do.go read her stuff and leave a review, too!  
  
Her stuff on mm.org can be found by following this link:  
  
http://www.mediaminer.org/fanfic/src.php?auth=66758  
  
She goes by the handle; "Ryven Sorane."  
  
Onwards with the story, now!  
  
~Ami  
  
Panting and shoving her golden hair behind one ear, one of her feather accents blowing against her pointed ear, Ryven parried another attack by her adopted father. They had been sparring like this for at least a good four hours now.  
  
Ryven felt glad to be back on solid ground where she could feel the grass under her feet and the sense the things which moved about beneath.  
  
"Attack more, Seito," Piccolo growled at her, though not in anger, he was always trying to make her strive to be better, always trying to get her to take another step forward.  
  
Perhaps his methods were less harsh than they were when she was little, having her around as child as well as when Gohan had been little and under his care, had tempered him somewhat, gave him a small bit of patience with others, "Hai! Yes! That is better!"  
  
Ryven smiled through the dirt which grimed her face, but did not allow him to take the advantage. She struck out with a fast combo upper and lower kick and spin then a series of punches, driving him backwards as he blocked her offensive. "Good! Much better, Young One."  
  
** She is still uncomfortable attacking you though **  
  
** She doesn't want to hurt him, fool, ** Nail's voice countered, ** She loves him too much.**  
  
** Baka! It's not that, she's afraid of doing bad and having him be ashamed of her.**  
  
** Be silent! ** Piccolo raged at them, ** She is doing better and I could never be ashamed of her, so put that thought to rest, the both of you! **  
  
Rowyn, having been carried down from the tower by Piccolo just that morning, rested with her back against a tree, watched the duel with unblinking eyes.  
  
Her admiration for the light-haired elf grew by leaps and bounds the more she observed and talked with her. She'd never met anyone quite like her before.  
  
All the other elves she had contact with after her capture had all been too broken by their captors to have even a small spark of life left within them. They had given up on ever escaping and had reconciled themselves to their fate. Not a one of them, herself included, would have ever even considered fighting back.  
  
She knew she was of a different race of elves than Ryven though, she knew that the moment she got close enough to the older elf, close enough that she could smell the strong scent of wolf upon her leathers and skin.  
  
That had frightened her a bit, but most things which were new to her frightened her, but Ryven had called her wolf-companion to her almost as soon as they had stepped onto the hard earth and Ryven had introduced the two to each other.  
  
The powerful white wolf, Snowblind, had approached her warily, sniffing at her with caution. Instant bade her to hold out her hand, palm upwards, fist closed in a gesture of non-harm for the animal to come and sniff. A few quick licks upon Rowyn's cheek and a wag of his bushy tail let the girl know that she was accepted.  
  
Now, the wolf lay a few feet from her, watching his bonded as she practiced her fighting moves and watched the new one from the corner of his eyes. The wolf could send, but only indistinct, emotion-driven image-words that held his beast-mind behind them, difficult for one who had never touched minds with an animal of any sort to convey.  
  
Ryven and Snowblind had been bonded so long now that they hardly needed to speak mind-to-mind anymore to express to the other their wants and desires. Snowblind just semed to know, automatically, exactly what Ryven wanted or was feeling and Ryven was the same towards the wolf.  
  
Her hands felt empty and useless, Rowyn looked down at them, she had always had something in them to occupy herself when she'd been just a little slave girl. She picked at the grass between her legs on the ground and absently began to plait the long green strands into braids.  
  
Her fingers quested of their our accord, seeking out longer, stronger strands and more of them. Soon, her eyes had left the two fighters completely to concentrate on her task.  
  
Snowblind looked up from his paws momentarily to see what she was up to and then laid his big shaggy head back down and closed his eyes for a wolf-nap after he saw that she was up to nothing dangerous to either himself or his bond and her adopted father.  
  
Rowyn nearly forgot he was there as her fingers worked swiftly at the grass and braids of grass she was busily entwining together.  
  
"What are you doing, Rowyn?" Ryven asked, suddenly standing in front of her, wiping her face on her a towel Piccolo had materialized for her. He was standing a few feet away, eyes closed, gathering himself. A glass of water appeared in his hand and drank is slowly.  
  
Ryven had noticed Rowyn pulling up the grass around her and braiding it together as her and Piccolo's sparring died down, and wondered what the other elf was up to. Now, she stood before her and waited for an answer.  
  
Rowyn pulled something from behind her which her body had been blocking from Ryven's sight and held it out to the other elf. "This is for you, Ryven."  
  
Ryven looked at the beautifully braided green length of grass tightly woven into a thick belt about as wide as her one hand lay flat and the a little longer than the width around of her waist.  
  
Rowyn had somehow entwinted little sparkling pebbles and pieces of what looked like colored glass that she had found on the ground as she worked, within the structure in a pretty pattern. The entire thing was just breathtaking.  
  
She smiled and held up, the sparkle-rocks and glass shone in the sun's fading light.  
  
Rowyn looked up hopefully. She chewed her bottom lip in anticipation. She was afraid that Ryven would laugh at her and throw the carefully crafted grass belt back in her face. But her heart told her that she was being foolish. Ryven wasn't like that. She wouldn't hurt on purpose the way.  
  
She shook her head, she refused to dwell on thoughts of the past on such a beautiful twilit moment. She merely awaited Ryven's response to her unexpected gift.  
  
"It's wonderful." Ryven said, "Such skill! How could you have made this in just a few short hours.?"  
  
Rowyn flushed with pleasure as she watched Ryven secure the belt about her waist just below her normal, leathern one.  
  
It was a bit large for her, one end trailed to just below her stomach, but otherwise it looked like it were made just for her, which, of course, it had been.  
  
"I love it, Rowyn." She smiled, with her eyes as well as her mouth, "domo arigato.thank you!"  
  
Rowyn blushed further and looked down, not comfortable enough, just yet, to dare to meet the eyes of one she still considered, in her heart of hearts, one of higher standard than herself. She was just glad that Ryven had liked her gift enough to don it straight away.  
  
"Hmm." Piccolo said, behind Ryven, looking at the belt the other girl had crafted, "I can see all ready that your strengths do not lie in the art of fighting, Little One,"  
  
Ryven and Rowyn both turned to him, waitng. Piccolo went on. "Perhaps a place for you can be found in the Son household, Chi Chi might be able to use your quick hands and agile ways around the house."  
  
** What are you doing? ** Nail asked, ** That poor girl! Chi Chi will eat her alive! **  
  
** Yes! How cruel can you be to the poor thing? **  
  
Anyone with half a brain can sense that she'd be more comfortable in an environment she's grown used to and after observing her for these last few days I can see that helping to run a household would suit her more than being trained as a fighter.  
  
Some of us just are not meant to be warriors. Piccolo thought as he saw Rowyn's quivering smile of hope.  
  
She, herself, had just about gone crazy for lack of things to do with herself and after cleaning The Lookout from top to bottom three times she'd finally run out of things to occupy herself.  
  
It was true that some aspects of being a slave she still longed for, only because they were all she knew and felt secure within that familiarity, such as cooking and cleaning and creating craftworks for others.  
  
It had been nice when her masters had found less reason to kick and beat her and more to smile grudgingly upon her for her efforts. If only I had listened more when she tried to teach me that new way of sewing.She thought, recalling her last encounter with her masters, her last beating. She'd crawled out of the house that night, afterwards, hours later, with no thought save that she wanted to die and live at the same time.she just wanted to get away.  
  
"Rowyn?" Ryven asked, concerned, "Are you.all right?"  
  
Rowyn's face softened once more, her eyes cleared and she stumbled; ".Genki desui.I'm fine."  
  
She's not fine, Ryven thought, as she watched the younger elf, And won't be for a very long time. I've seen such pain before.in my own eyes reflected back at me from still pools or mirrors.  
  
** This one will need some gentle coaxing ** Piccolo's voice was soft in it's normal gruffness within her mind, ** Towards discovering self and healing.**  
  
** I will help her. ** Ryven said, almost as if the decision had been at the back of her mind all this time, being chewed upon as a wolf worried an old bone, just waiting for it to be confirmed, ** All I can. **  
  
** I know you will, Seito.** Piccolo sent, pride for his daughter swelling his heart, ** You've all ready begun.**  
  
Snowblind yipped and wagged his tail at them, having all ready come to his feet, he slaughtered over to Ryven and butted his head beneath her hand so that she had no choice but to scratch his ears for him, which he loved, of course.  
  
Rowyn laughed at this and for a moment the flickering fear and pain, which was always behind her features, left her dark eyes. 


	5. In The Line Of Fire

The screaming was still going on and now he could hear things like pans being thrown and dishes breaking. He'd flown ahead of the girls to prepare Goku and Chi Chi for Rowyn's arrival and ask if they could find a place for her in their home. Now, as he hovered above the house, he had the very strong urge just to hightail it out of there.  
  
** Coward! **  
  
** That woman would make anyone afraid! She's crazy! **  
  
** I wonder what she's angry about now.**  
  
Piccolo just ignored them and placed his fingers to his forehead, flickering and reappearing inside the house. Chi Chi had just thrown a dish at Goku and it sailed past Piccolo's head, slicing along-side his ear to crash against the wall after Goku had ducked.  
  
"Heh!" Goku smiled up, "Sorry about that, Piccolo! What's up?"  
  
Piccolo shook his head, Chi Chi screamed; "What are you doing?! Don't you even have the common decency to use the kami-forsaken.  
  
** I resent that! **  
  
** Shut up, old man! **  
  
.door!? Not to mention, can't you see that we are having a private discussion here?!"  
  
"Private?!" Piccolo growled, rubbing his ear, "Who is it suppose to be private from.the other half of the world?!"  
  
"Why.you." Chi Chi fumed, her face red from anger and frustration, hands already reaching for something else to throw, "Baka kuso atama!"  
  
Both Piccolo and Goku looked taken aback by her langange! They hadn't expected her to scream something like that!  
  
** Whoa! ** Nail gasped, in between a chuckle, ** I never realized Goku's woman was such a potty mouth! **  
  
"Hey, Piccolo..." Goku looked from his wife to his friend, "W-would you like to go.somewhere.else..?"  
  
"Are you serious, Goku!?" Chi Chi yelled, "I'm not done talking with you! Where are you going?! You get back here this instant, this instant.Aaargh!!!"  
  
Piccolo and Goku flew off away from the fuming woman as fast as they could, Nail and Kami both laughing so hard that Piccolo had a bit of trouble trying to hear his own thoughts over their blasted mirth.  
  
Perhaps today isn't the best day to introduce Rowyn.  
  
** Ya think? **  
  
** Oh, Chi Chi can be sweet.when she's not steamed about something.**  
  
Nail shook his mental head.  
  
"Whoa!" Goku said, standing in midair, far from his house, scratching his head, "I've seen Chi Chi mad before but.what she said.!"  
  
"Yeah, she sounded like Vegeta."  
  
"Hey, Piccolo." Goku looked at him out the corner of his dark eye, "Heh.you.wouldn't know what a 'shit head' is? Would you? Cause I don't think my head is made of."  
  
"Goku!" Piccolo said, "I'll explain the ins and outs of swearing to you later."  
  
"But, I really want to know."  
  
** Is he really that stupid.? ** Kami started.  
  
** Hey, Piccolo! Ask him about the peanut! **  
  
** Peanut? What peanut? **  
  
** That peanut.** Nail showed a series of particularly humorous images involving Goku and a peanut.  
  
** Ohh! **  
  
"Goku, the reason I came to your house," Piccolo began, getting the other man's attention, which had begun to wander away again, "Was that I had a favor to ask of you and your wife."  
  
"Well, Gee, Piccolo," Goku smiled, "You know we'd always be happy to do a favor for you! What is it?"  
  
Piccolo quickly brought him up to speed, and yes he used short and easy words with lots of description, (stopping just short of materializing a sketchpad and pencils and drawing him pictures.), as to finding the other elf and thinking a place in the Son house would be good for her.  
  
** Are you still certain of that? ** Kami asked quietly.  
  
"Can I meet her?" Goku asked, "What does she do? Fight? Is she really strong? Cause I really want to fight someone strong.ya know, stonger than Vegeta."  
  
Piccolo shook his head, "Come on. I left her with Ryven back at my cave.and no, she doesn't fight."  
  
"Hmm, okay." Goku said, sounding crestfallen, as they flew, but just as quickly his mood brightened once more; "Can she cook?"  
  
Piccolo nodded, sighing. "I think she can."  
  
"All right!" Goku cried, speeding up, "I can't wait to meet her!" 


	6. Goku!

Rowyn sat at the mouth of the cave those she still secretly thought of as her masters brought her to three days ago.  
  
She was busy braiding a garland of wildflowers together, her mind off somewhere far as her fingers worked with dexterity not many could match, though she did not think of herself of any great worth nor her talent.  
  
Ryven was still asleep with Snowblind, in the shelter of the cave. It was still quite early, even for Rowyn who was used to rising hours before the crack of dawn to begin her duties.  
  
She'd stirred early enough to catch Piccolo just ending his nightly meditations and he'd looked at her with subtle annoyance, as if she'd been the one to disturb him. Since he loathed being interrupted during his moments of mental repose, night, while others slept, seemed the best time to do it.  
  
Rowyn watched the sunrise in the distance, making the leaves on the trees surrounding them glow a pretty auburn hue, like fire in the leaves, and placed her garland beside her. She saw shapes against the sky as her dark eyes lifted above the tops of the trees.  
  
Her sensitive ears also heard Ryven moving about in the cave and Snowblind gave a soft bark that showed he was awake as well. Rowyn looked fearful at the sky. One figure she knew, but the other was new and therefore she felt she had to be wary.  
  
She scrambled up and ran back into the cave, ducking down behind the blankets and furs she'd slept in the night before, waiting.  
  
Her heart pounded in her chest and she felt as if she would throw up if she'd eaten anything yet. Ryven looked at her askance as she tied her cape about her shoulders and donned her boots.  
  
"What's wrong?" She asked, she had sensed Piccolo returning as well as someone else, Goku, someone no one should have been afraid of.unless they were looking for a fight, that is.or didn't have enough food. "Rowyn?"  
  
Rowyn wouldn't speak. She simply buried herself deeper, trying to hide, shaking with undo fear. Ryven sighed and left her there. There was really nothing she could do at the moment and went out to greet the being she called father and Goku.  
  
"Goku-san!" Ryven bowed politely to the dark-haired saiyan warrior, before he smiled and she ran over and hugged him, "How are you?"  
  
"Hey, kiddo!" Goku said, laughing, "Good to see you. I'm all right. I hear you have a friend here who knows how to cook?"  
  
"Cook?" The little blonde elf looked up at him, her head cocked to one side in confusion, Rowyn hadn't ever cooked anything as far as she knew.  
  
"Um," Piccolo cleared his throat, giving Ryven a 'I had to tell him something' look that she understood right away, "Where is she, Seito?"  
  
Ryven pointed over her shoulder towards the gaping mouth of their shelter, saying; "She saw you two arriving and got all freaked out."  
  
"Oh, so she's in there?" Goku asked, bounding with his boyhood exhilaration, into the cave, "Yoo-hoo! Rowyn? Are you in here?"  
  
"Goku-san!" Ryvn cried out, trying to stop him, "No! You'll scare her even more."  
  
Piccolo and Ryven both ducked into the cave and peered over Goku's massive shoulder, he was crouched down on his heels, looking at the lump of shivering bedding which was Rowyn. Goku reached over and pulled the bedding away, revealing Rowyn, who stared up with large, bright-dark eyes, "Aaaw, Why are you so scared, little one? I won't hurt you."  
  
"Rowyn-chan!" Ryven said, "Come out! This is Goku.he's a friend."  
  
"I hear you can cook!" Goku said, smiling broadly. Rowyn's mouth curved upwards slowly and she met Goku's eyes.  
  
"That depends." She said, warming to his friendly, childlike manner.  
  
"On what?" He asked, as she wondered, to herself, how his hair stayed that way.  
  
"On what, exactly, you want me to cook." She answered and his grin widened even more, if that was possible.  
  
"Oh, Gosh!" He exclaimed, "Let's see.ummm.how much time do you have, well, I like."  
  
Piccolo and Ryven groaned to them selves as Goku began to list off his all- time favorite foods, which of course, was everything he had ever eaten in his entire life. The list would have been much longer had he not run out of fingers and toes to count them on.  
  
But, by the time he had finished, Rowyn was giggling behind her hands, unsure of what to make of him but liking him none-the-less.  
  
"Please, forgive my laughter," She said to him, "You are just very.odd.to me."  
  
Goku shrugged, "Don't worry, I get that a lot."  
  
"Piccolo told me that he thinks you'd like to come live at my house," Goku said to her, raising a dark eyebrow, "Is this true?"  
  
She nodded. "It would please me," She said carefully, "If it would please you."  
  
"Only if you can cook!" He said, and added, shrugging, "If not, I guess Chi Chi can teach you, she's good at that sort of thing."  
  
At the mention of that bothersome woman's name, Piccolo shoved an urge to groan down his throat.  
  
** Let's just hope she doesn't teach her how to scream and throw things.** Kami whispered inside Piccolo's head.  
  
** She might just pick up Chi Chi's habits, regardless. ** Nail bit off.  
  
I highly doubt that, Piccolo thought to them, Although, I am fairly certain Chi Chi would frighten her terribly.  
  
** A dust devil frightens her. ** Nail said harshly, snorting.  
  
** So, we ease her into the situation slowly, ** Kami said, a bit arrogantly, but that was to be expected, being as he was the guardian of the earth for so many centuries, ** Introduce her to Goku, let him clear the path, so to speak, with his wife so that she will accept her when she comes.**  
  
Piccolo mentally nodded. He could not have put it better himself. Rowyn needed a friend straight away inside the Son house, someone she knew would be there for her to talk with when she got lonely or Chi Chi scolded her, and if there was anyone who was perfect at friendship, it was Goku.  
  
He looked over to see Goku looking, with rapt fascination at Ryven's belt, the grass and pebble one Rowyn had made for her and asking Rowyn all kinds of questions as to how she had made and how long it had taken her and what she was thinking when she decided to create it.  
  
"Could you make me one, too?" He asked, though he knew he couldn't ever wear it, not and still fight, it would be ruined, but maybe he could give it to Chi Chi as a way apologizing for walking out earlier when she'd still be screaming at him.  
  
He'd forgotten what it was she had been angry about in the first place. Probably had a nightmare that he'd left her for Bulma again.  
  
She seemed to have that dream a lot, he'd noticed, and he always woke up with a headache due to her slamming her fists against his skull in her half- asleep rage at him for even daring to cheat on her.even if was only a nightmare on her part!  
  
His wife did crazy things like that sometimes, Goku reflected, as Rowyn shoved a lock of her hair behind one pointed ear, Sometimes he wished he still thought getting married was some kind of food and had refused to try it!  
  
Goku loved his wife. No, that wasn't entirely true. Well, he loved her as he would any fellow living, breathing creature who was his friend also and as the mother of his children, well, he respected her for that role as well as for the job she did cleaning and cooking for him.  
  
He feared, with all the children being male, and Bulma busy so often with her husband and family, that Chi Chi had been growing irritable for lack of female company to alleviate her boredom while he was training elsewhere.  
  
Having Rowyn come live with them would be a good idea, he thought, smiling at the little elf, A very good idea. 


	7. Chi Chi!

Ryven held the smaller girl by the hand. She practically trembled as she and Piccolo led her up to the doorstep of the Son house. Goku had gone ahead and explained to his wife about Rowyn and after she had calmed long enough to realize the position that the young elfling was in, Chi Chi felt sorry for her and exclaimed that of course she'd be more than happy to take the poor dear in!  
  
Goku had stayed with Piccolo, Ryven and Rowyn for a few days to get to know the girl better and to tell her as much about his household as possible, to ease her into the new situation. After a week had gone by and they all thought she was more than ready, they had taken her to Goku's house to meet the rest of his family.  
  
Just before they'd walked up the walkway, Rowyn had ran up and latched onto Ryven, holding her hand tightly and nearly hiding behind the taller, blonde elf. Ryven looked at her in muted sympathy. She was, after all, meeting Son Chi Chi for the first time. Perhaps she had reason to be.nervous.  
  
The front door flung open and little boy, a miniature replica of Goku bounded out. "Yeah! Hi Dad! Hi Piccolo! Ryven!" He cried out, another little boy, lavender haired a tad bit older, followed more sedately behind. He stopped and looked up at Rowyn, squinting his nose at her, "Who's she?!"  
  
His lavender-haired friend slapped him hard across the shoulder, "Goten! She's like Ryven! Be polite!"  
  
"Oow." Goten rubbed his arm but still stared up at Rowyn. She smiled and let go of Ryven's hand to bend down to the boy's level. She touched her index finger to the tip of his nose.  
  
"Hi."  
  
"Hi." He grinned up at her, "Are you going to stay here?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
With that, Goten laughed and took off into the air with his friend, both chatting in the high-pitched excited children's voices as they flew.  
  
Rowyn flushed and stood back up. Without looking at anyone, she said; "I like children."  
  
** She should get along with Chi Chi, then.** Nail said, snapping Piccolo out of his reverie, ** At least she seems to enjoy housework and kids.**  
  
** If she can avoid getting smacked with a cooking apparatus.** Kami retorted.  
  
** She should be so lucky.I'd rather have her thwap me with a frying pan than screech in my ear.**  
  
Piccolo silently agreed with this.  
  
"Oh! Is this who I've been hearing about?" Rowyn looked up to see a very motherly-appearing dark-haired woman in a red silk robe. Her dark hair was done up into a lose bun atop her head, a few ends hanging down to frame her petite-yet-strong features. She looked at Rowyn with large, midnight eyes. "You must be Rowyn.?"  
  
Rowyn nodded and smiled back at her, instantly likely the other, human, woman. Chi Chi stepped forward and took the elf by the hand. "Come inside. I've just put the water on for tea. We can talk and get to know each other."  
  
Rowyn looked back at Piccolo and Ryven and saw their pleasantly surprised expressions. She let herself be led by Chi Chi into the house.  
  
** Well, so far, no pans.**  
  
Kami mentally shrugged.  
  
Piccolo did the same.  
  
"Time to practice." Piccolo said to Ryven, who turned and followed him away from the house. She looked back at the house once with the thought to check in on the other elf and see how she was getting along after she was finished. She hoped Rowyn could honestly feel welcome in the Son household. She hoped that Chi Chi could hold her temper for awhile. 


	8. Premonitions of Dread

The ship was quite large as was befitting a vessel of the royal house. As was befitting a ship carrying one of the royal house. Disk-shaped with four other disk-shaped levels one upon the other, it's numerous lighted windows of various shapes and sizes over the mass of the craft sparkled like stars in their own right as it sped gracefully through blackness of space towards it destination.  
  
Queen Palena sat at her desk, the gown she wore fell to her ankles in soft waves, slit at her side to reveal her shapely, slightly tanned right leg, the bodice tight and low-cut to show off her womanly curves and considerable bosom which had caught it's share of glances as a young girl and even now, well into her fourties, Palena wasn't immune to a man's eye.  
  
She held a photo of her only child in her hands, gazing with dark sapphire eyes at the frowning child within the picture in the frame. Even as a little one, Yarrah rarely found it necessary to show any sort of emotion other than anger and, not often, grudging satisfaction. A lock of shocking white hair fell over the child's face, nearly hiding eyes the same hue as her mother's.  
  
Palena reached up to secure her own pale white hair, a color she was born with, not one she had gained upon her age, behind the royal tiara she wore whenever she was away from the palace for any length of time and while away from her formal throne. She only wore the heavy, jewel-encrusted crown at formal events, while greeting guests to her planet or acting as ambassador for her world.  
  
She sighed and really wished that they had not taken part in the little vacation the king, her husband, had dragged herself and most of the royal staff, including her taciturn little daughter and her newly acquired elven slave, on a few months before. She really did not wish to be traveling back to that horrid little planet with it's primitive creatures and terribly unpredictable weather!  
  
She placed the photo back upon the corner of her desk and turned in her swivel chair to face the small girl seated crossed-legged upon the bed before her. The sheer massiveness of the bed, with it's tall posters and sweeping canopy and overstuffed pillows of satin and silk, served to make her daughter look even smaller than she actually was.  
  
Princess Yarrah lifted her gaze until her eyes locked onto her mother's. She had her hands clasped together in her lap, the long crimson dress she wore was as high-necked as her mother's gown was low, with severe clasps going all the way to her chin, the hem reaching her ankles and the sleeves, unlike her mother's sleeveless royal dress, covered her arms clear to her small hands and most of her fingers. Queen Palena tried to get her to dress a little more becoming to her looks and color, but was met with stern resistance.  
  
Instead of the normal disquieting stillness she normally encountered when looking her daughter in the face, Palena nearly started in shock to see the look of fury roiling just under the surface in her child's hard glare. For one who had only seen thirteen summers, the princess could look the part of someone much older. Palena wondered, not for the first time, if she were to take her to a reader on a lark if the mystic might not tell her this was not Yarrah's first lifetime...Not that she would all that surprised if it weren't!  
  
"We must go back, Mother," She said now, her voice soft and high-pitched as one would expect a child's to be, "She must be made to pay for what she did to me!"  
  
Palena nodded, understanding. One's personal slave was a reflection upon oneself. As a princess and daughter of the royal house, Yarrah had an obligation to have the best-trained personal slave as could be found. That the little elven child they had hand-picked from market would have disobeyed so outwardly, and then had the audacity to flee from her punishment was a slight directly upon their regal names!  
  
The Queen knew they had to go back to fetch the girl. Even if she'd rather not, it was the principle of the matter. Her daughter caught her look and pursed her thin lips until they seemed to disappear altogether within her small face. She did not move from her spot but her eyes danced within their sockets at the thought of dealing out her own brand of punishment to her wayward little servant.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Ryven watched the dark-haired elf as she helped Chi Chi hang a load of laundry out on a line to dry outside. She hovered in the air, her hair messed from training, as well as being more than a bit bruised and worn out. Not that she was complaining. She was one who had learned, however difficult such lessons had been, to her lumps as well as the next warrior. Her pointed ears picked up the tail-end of the conversation as she lowered herself to the ground.  
  
Training had gone less than smooth this morning and afternoon. Her mind could not seem to stay on task and Piccolo found himself reprimanding her far to many times, making her feel like a childlike novice once more, and finally he ended it by declaring, wiping sweat from his brow; "It's no use to train if you can't keep your mind what your doing. We're just wasting time."  
  
"I'm sorry, Sensei." Ryven had said and bowed, panting, mentally kicking herself. Why couldn't she keep her mind from straying? The truth of the matter was, she was worried about Rowyn and more than a little curious as to where, exactly, she had come from since she had never actually revealed much about herself to anyone yet. She assumed it was just because she was still so overcome with not-so-distant memories of recent abuse. She did not wish to rush the girl and perhaps cause further damage...but she was still curious...  
  
"Oh, Ryven, dear!" Chi Chi looked up, spotting the girl right before she'd touched the ground with her feet, "You look a mess! Don't tell me Piccolo let you leave without at least attempting to clean you up?"  
  
Ryven narrowed her eyes, not liking the woman's word or her tone of voice all that much. The fact of the matter was, her mind had been too far from her body to even think about washing up and straightening her hair. She combed it down with her hands clumsily a bit Chi Chi's words however but did little to alter her appearance. Rowyn looked up, holding one of Goten's shirts in her hands, about to secure it to the line along with a row of similar shirts and other articles of clothing one much like the others.  
  
"Ryven-san!" She smiled, and lowered her lashes over her eyes, still finding it difficult to meet the other elf's gaze, "I am happy you've decided you come visit."  
  
"How are you getting along here?" Ryven asked, walking up to Rowyn and taking the damp shirt from her slackened grasp she pinned it to the line herself, reaching into the basket for another piece of clothing, Rowyn smiled at her and quickly followed suit, "Work goes by much faster when there's more than one pair of hands at work," Ryven said, noticing Chi Chi had wandered back into the house to get dinner ready for her ever-hungry brood, "Especially when those hands belong to friends who can talk while they work."  
  
Rowyn grew quiet at Ryven's words, her eyes and hands on her task. She had not meant to clam up so, it was only...She sighed and tried to think of something to say...she could not stop thinking of pale-haired older elf girl as anything other than her Master. No matter how Ryven tried to speak with her to gain her trust and make her more at ease. Speaking openly to one's master would only serve to temp fate to do it's worse.  
  
"It's okay, Rowyn-chan," Ryven said, using the prefix at the end of her name to indicate that she thought of the girl as a friend, she knew that Rowyn still had trouble thinking of one she considered higher than herself as friend and she wished she could change the way the other girl thought of her and truely someone she could call a friend. She had the feeling the girl had had precious little in the experience of friends so far in her short life, "Whatever you tell me, will remain between the two of us. Friends trust each other..."  
  
Rowyn looked over at her, meeting her eyes for the first time since she'd first meet her, and smiled slowly. She longed to have someone around her own age to speak with, someone of her own gender and race as well...there were very few elves kept as slaves after she'd been captured and sold to market. She had half-hoped, upon being sold into the royal family of some obscure world, that she wouldn't be the only elf amongst the household servants.  
  
Ryven did not fail to see the fear as it flickered across her features, fear that seemed less as the time wore on, but never gone entirely from the girl's dark eyes. She reached between the laundry basket to grasp Rowyn's small, cold hand in her own, forcing her to look into her eyes; "Whatever it is," She said slowly, meaningfully, "You can trust me...You don't need to be afraid while there are people who can protect you...tell me...?"  
  
"I...I..." Rowyn started, looking away at the fading sun's light. Looking towards the twilight skies, smeared hues of red, blue and orange crossed the sky, looking much like the result of a lazy painter who had fallen drunk at his work and smudged the colors of his paints together without a care as to how it would look to surveyors of his work, she waited for Rowyn to gather herself together.  
  
To Ryven, the sunset was always awe-inspiring. As a very small child she used to wonder if she Piccolo carried far enough if she could actually walk among the colors and have them bleed into her own flesh and clothing, making her rainbow-hued. She'd never told anyone, least of all Piccolo, her little fantasy for fear of being laughed at and called silly.  
  
"I'm afraid," Rowyn finally said, and Ryven turned back to her, eyebrows raised, "that she will come back for me..."  
  
"Who?" Ryven started, then paused, and answered her own half-begun query, "Ah, the one who kept you as a servant...Don't worry! If she tried to come for you, she will have to answer to everyone here!"  
  
Rowyn's dark brown eyes grew large as she shook her head, unable to speak but her mouth moving frantically. She dropped Ryven's hand and backed away, shaking her head hurriedly. Finally, she was able to speak. Practically crying, her voice hardly above a horse whisper, Rowyn pleaded; "No, Ryven-san! Please! I couldn't bear it if..."  
  
Before she could finish her sentence, she choked on her words and sobbed, turned and fled from the yard, slamming the door to the house behind her and leaving Ryven to look after her with a shocked expression on her face. The echo of the words she had been about to utter lingered like a moth flapping at the corners of Rowyn's mind as she sought sanctuary within the small bedroom Chi Chi had allowed her to keep.  
  
...If...if...She came for you as well...  
  
~*~*~  
  
"How much longer, Captain Belcourt?" Palena asked as she stood upon the bridge, glancing about at the crew working steadily around her. The evening crew had just gone to retire for the day and this group was as wide- eyed and bushy-tailed as long-tailed Reapcat, going about thier work with the ease and energy of the well-rested.  
  
Captian Eelian Belcourt had stood upon her arrival into the upper bridge, as had the rest of his crew, but at a wave of her hand they had been dismissed to go about their business of flying the vessel and now, only the captain remained on his feet. He was a sturdy-looking man, with ruddy skin and a pot-belly due to a fondness for fast women and strong hooch during his off-hours, with a slightly balding head of dark gray hair and dull slate-metal gray eyes.  
  
He was dressed in the teal and crimson colors that marked him an officer under the employ of the royal house, the bars upon his shoulders showing his rank and various metals of honor he had attained over his course of years within the space corps for all to see. He stuck out his chest in pride whenever anyone noticed them, and he always found a way to point them out if anyone failed to do so.  
  
The queen found very little about the pompous little man she found redeeming. But, she knew, he was best one to captain this ship than they could ever hope to find. For some reason unbeknown to her or the rest of her family, he had a way of making the crew not only obey him, but actually enjoy working under him! It was a mystery that Palena had no interest in solving.  
  
"About a week...maybe two," He answered, his voice always annoyingly nasally, "We will navigate the ship in the space about the planet and use the shuttle crafts to send an away team to the planet's surface to locate the quarry. After we have secured the quarry within the shuttle, we will begin preparations..."  
  
"To leave the place, yes I get the picture, Belcourt." She snapped, her heels clicking on the surface as she walked across the floor of the bridge, pausing to look back once before letting herself out of the room, "My daughter grows impatient, Captain. It's not wise to keep her in her current state..."  
  
Eelian Belcourt swallowed visably, he, as with most people affiliated with the Royal House of Redshale, had heard of Princess Yarrah's single-minded heartlessness when dealing with those who displeased her. She had never missed even one execution since she learned to walk and talk upon her own. There were even rumor, though Belcourt had tried never to dwell on gossip, that she was even known to smile on occasion at such events.  
  
He knew that Princess Yarrah was a very cruel and very unhappy little girl, he always thought, secretly, that she was also a very spoiled little girl who would do well from a swift paddle across her backside. However, he had no desire to meet the hooded eyes of the executioner nor his blood- stained axe anytime in this life!  
  
~*~*~  
  
Rowyn closed her eyes tight as she sat upon the bed, her legs pulled under her chin and her head buried into her folded arms. She could stop the sensation that the peaceful little place she had found for herself here among people who seemed to honesty have her welfare in heart, was soon to be torn asunder. She shivered in place as her eyes seemed drawn of their own accord towards the star filled night sky outside her window.  
  
She gasped, biting back a sob. Deep within her heart of hearts, she knew. She hadn't been forgotten, forsaken...as she had thought...hoped...wished.  
  
She had not forgotten.  
  
"She's coming for me..." Rowyn whispered to herself, uable to move from the dread she felt creeping into her limbs, rendering her nearly paralyzed.  
  
I pray that I am the only one she sees fit to take... 


	9. Kidnapped!

"How is the little one, Ryven-san?" Piccolo asked his adopted daughter and student, as they sat, side by side, upon the ground outside the cave, the darkening of the light of day making the shadows grow longer and the entrance to the dwelling seem gaping and just a bit scary.  
  
Ryven looked up from her task of re-plaiting the feathers into her braid, her azure eyes shadowed with worry. "Something bothers her, Papa," She said, twisting the piece of leather at the base of the braid, securing it into place beside her ear, "She won't talk to me. Everytime I've tried, she gets this look in her eyes...horribly afraid...and runs off."  
  
"Hmm," Piccolo mused, closing his eyes for a moment, "I've felt something...cold...within my meditations recently. Perhaps the child..."  
  
"I don't know," Ryven said, gazing out at the trees before them, at the crimson and blue dripping horizon, "But I have a really bad feeling," She touched her stomach with a closed fist, "Here."  
  
Piccolo looked at her and nodded. "Me too, Ryven-san, me too."  
  
Ryven began to stand, her dark cloak flowing about her in the breeze with also tickled her hair about her temples, looking off into the distance.  
  
"I'm going to go check on her..."  
  
Piccolo stood up as well, a shiver that was not born of any wind coursing through him, making him shiver outwardly as sensations of dread flowed through him like waves upon the ocean.  
  
Suddenly, without the slightly hint of warning, the ground around them began to shake. Caught off guard, Ryven found herself being flung backwards, caught by Piccolo's swiftness and set to her feet once more. Keeping their balance, the ground about them began to heave and move, as if the earth itself were breathing deeply, being roused from a horrid nightmare.  
  
"What's happening?!" Ryven shouted, having felt nothing like it in her entire life, it felt a little like an earthquake, but different.  
  
Piccolo floated into the air and Ryven followed suit, in the air they were less at the mercy of the shifting ground and as they flew higher into the air, they could survey the land below them and find out what, exactly, caused the sudden shifting of earth's soil. Piccolo spotted it first and pointed, eyes wide, as he caught Ryven's attention a mere scant second later.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"W-what...what's going on, Goku?!" Chi Chi and Goku had been in bed, having retired early after supper, in order to start the day fresh in the morning with housework and shopping for her and Rowyn and training for him, she had been laying with her head pressed against his bare chest, his hand moving lazily through her dark hair nearly asleep when they felt the shuddering of the ground below them.  
  
Chi Chi clutched at her husband, her nails digging into the side of his muscular body, fear making her hold on much too tightly. Goku sat up with her and looked around, dumbfounded. His first thought was that it was some new powerful enemy like Freiza or Majin Buu....  
  
"I don't know!" He cried, as Goten, and Trunks who was staying the night, cried out from the hallway, "Dad! Mom! What's that?!"  
  
The boys raced into the bedroom and flung themselves between Chi Chi and Goku, burying themselves under the covers. "My whole bed was shaking off the ground!" Goten cried, tears in his large eyes, "I...I'm mean...Trunks was scared so we...we...came in here..."  
  
"I was not!" Trunks cried out, smacking Goten over the head under the covers, "Y-you were the scared one...!"  
  
"There's no reason for either of you to be scared, boys," Goku said, taking fatherly control, as usual, Chi Chi reached out and pulled her son to her, kissing his brow and smoothing back his hair from his face, she nodded in agreement, "You've just never felt an earthquake before. That all it is. It will go away after a few moments, you'll see."  
  
The little ones missed the look which passed over their head between the adults. A look which clearly said that they thought this was more than just a mere earthquake and did not wish to upset the children any more than they all ready were. Goku disentangled himself from his son's and his friend's strong grips and slipped from the bed, still wearing a pair of black satin pajama bottoms that belonged to a set Chi Chi had bought for him last Christmas because she secretly thought he looked dashing in black, and stumbled to the doorway, looking back he said; "I'm going to check on this...you three stay here."  
  
"No way, Dad!" Goten cried, leaping up into the air and speeding after his father, "I want to help!" "Goten!" Chi Chi shreiked, "Come back here this instant, young man!"  
  
"Aaaw, but Moooom!!" Goten whined, as a dresser was pitched forward, knocking him backwards back onto he bed and into his mother's waiting arms.  
  
"Mind me!" Chi Chi said, as Goku placed his fingers to his temples and vanished from sight, "Help me and Trunks move the mattress from the bed and get under it, both of you..." She got up after the deed was done and ran, clumsily for the door, her thin nightgown doing it's best to trip her up, "I have to get to Rowyn!"  
  
~*~*~  
  
Rowyn sat up in her bed, her pale pink sleeveless gown did little to keep the draft from biting at her sensitive skin and gooseflesh burst all up and down her bare arms and legs as she felt the house shaking and moaning all around her.  
  
She had heard the little boys scream and run for the adults' bedroom, envious of them for having someone to run to and cling to when frightened. For far too long, the only one Rowyn had to run to when she was afraid was herself.  
  
She gripped her arms tighter and waited, knowing that this was no mere earthquake. Chi Chi cried out from the hallway outside her room, worried about her. She stumbled from the bed and opened the door, Chi Chi gathered her up against her, pulling her down the hallway towards the mattress she and the boys had all ready placed against the wall just within the threshold of her and Goku's bedroom.  
  
"Quickly!" Chi Chi cried, shoving her down, "Under there! Boys, make room! And no fighting! Keep still and it will pass quickly, I promise!"  
  
"I hope it doesn't," Goten murmered, "Maybe I'll get to miss school..."  
  
"Don't even think it, young man!" Chi Chi said, as she made sure all the children were safe and accounted for, "Even if you miss school, you'll still have a perfectly good day for studying and catching up on what you did miss."  
  
Goten groaned and Trunks snickered. Rowyn merely watched out of the cornered side made from the mattress being braced against the wall, waiting for something she did not know how to explain, her heart pounding fiercely beneath her small breast, afraid to speak of her fears lest she be laughed at.  
  
Besides, there was all ways the chance that she could be wrong. This could really just be an ordinary earthquake. Perhaps.  
  
"Rowyn?!" She heard the voice of the pale-haired elf girl as she searched the house, Rowyn started to crawl out from the mattress, heedless of the shaking still going on all around her, "Rowyn, where are you?! Where is everyone? Chi Chi? Goku?"  
  
Ryven flew into Chi Chi and Goku's bedroom and saw the mattress against the wall, Goten had grabbed Rowyn's ankle and was pulling her back under, "Mom said you have to stay put, Rowyn!"  
  
"Let me go!" Rowyn cried, jerking her foot, yet unable to free it from the boy's strong grasp, "You don't understand! Let me go!"  
  
"Let her go, Goten," Ryven said, kneeling down and peering into the opening, she waved at Trunks, "I have a feeling she knows more about this than she's letting on. Rowyn?"  
  
"Ryven..." Rowyn gasped, at last having crawled out to grasp onto the older elf to keep from falling over, "You have to get out of here! They are coming for me...but if they see you...!"  
  
"What? Who?" Ryven asked, realizing that the earth had stopped moving, the stillness was nearly as bad in comparsion. The children had all ready crawled from beneath the mattress, "I told you before, no one is taking you anywhere you don't want to go! Not without a fight!"  
  
Rowyn shook her head. "That won't matter...They only want me, but, the Princess, she has a thing for...for elves...if she sees you, she will stop at nothing to gain you...!"  
  
"I'm not some trinket to be given to some brat as a plaything!" Ryven fumed, fists clenched, the weight of her sword at her back never felt so comforting, "Don't worry! If they've really come for you...they'll be leaving without either one of us and with some new broken limbs and black eyes for good measure!"  
  
"Is that true?" Both girls turned, gasping, as the air shimmered around them, the voice they heard seemed all around them and inside their heads all at the same time. Goten and Trunks cried out and tried to leap towards them, flying instead, right through their now transparent insubstantial bodies, "I think not, young ones..."  
  
** Rowyn...what's going on..? ** Ryven sent, using her mind only, afraid of who might be listening, ** I can't break free...something...pulling us...up...**  
  
** I'm sorry! ** Rowyn cried, ** I tried to warn you! Why didn't you run when you had the chance!? Why didn't you?! **  
  
** This isn't over! ** Ryven said, just before the strangeness of losing one's gravity and substance overcame her and she could not help falling backwards into her mind to escape the sensensation.  
  
The last thing Rowyn heard before she, herself, blacked out, was Piccolo's voice screaming in rage and fear below them as his daughter and her little where abducted. She thought she had felt his hand passing through her leg as he tried, in vain to grasp that which could no longer be held, right before they vanished completely.  
  
~*~*~  
  
It was hours...days...years...she couldn't really tell for certain, later, when she felt herself gaining conscienceness once more. She felt a hard pallet upon the floor beneath her, which wasn't so bad, considering she was used to roughing it out of door. But the noxious scent of overpowering floral perfumes were nearly enough to make her start gagging. She wished for the clean, crisp scent of the morning breeze outside her and Piccolo's cave.  
  
She realized, but the scents around her, some more subtle than others, that she wasn't alone in the room, where ever the room was. But, one thing was certain, she had grown used to Rowyn's scent, however little she had actually had to get to know the younger elf, and she couldn't smell her anywhere. Her heart raced in her chest.  
  
She opened her eyes as she felt a hand, small, cold, caress her cheek and turn her head roughly from side to side. A shock of white hair fell across the child's features as she gazed back at her with chill sapphire eyes, regarding her like a merchant surveying her wares. It was hard to believe such a gaze belonged to a little girl who looked to be around six years old at the most.  
  
Without thinking, Ryven snapped like a cornered wolf and bit the child's chubby fingers, tasting blood. Lashing out, the girl slapped her hard across the face then screamed so loud and piercing Ryven flinched away in pain as the sound stung her ears.  
  
"Mother! This one's mean! She bit me!" The girl backed away, glaring down at Ryven, who, having realized she was bound hand and feet to her pallet but cuffs of some odd metal clasped about her ankles and wrists and chained to the floor, could do no more than snarl, blood from the girl's injured finger dripping down her chin.  
  
A taller, paler version of the child snapped an order at a guard standing nearby and Ryven saw a large weapon pointed and shining in the dim light of the overhead lamps gripped within his strong hands, striding forward, a purposeful look in his dark eyes, a cruel glint to the half smile upon his face.  
  
The child flung herself in front of Ryven, screaming; "No! Mother! Don't you dare! I want to keep her! Look at her hair...it's so pretty...."  
  
"But, Darling," Her mother said, "She bit you. Look at her. She's a wild beast. It would be a mercy to end her suffering..."  
  
"No!"  
  
"But..."  
  
"I said no!"  
  
"Yarrah...I..."  
  
The child glared until the mother finally turned away, sighed and gestured for the guardsman to pull away his weapon. Dejected, the guard hid his sigh of frustration and took up his stance beside the bedroom room next to his partner on the other side.  
  
What have we gotten ourselves into? Ryven wondered to herself, What have they done with Rowyn? I hope she's all right...  
  
She just had to pray that the other elf could hold on until she could think of a way to get them out of this...  
  
Hold on, Rowyn...hold on... 


	10. Dangerous Games

They had finally stopped hitting her. Curled up in the corner of the small dark room, her body as bruised and broken as it had been the day Piccolo found her in the forest when she'd run away, Rowyn forced herself to keep down the slight nourishment she took before bed earlier that night, before the odd earthquake and her and Ryven's sudden abduction.  
  
She moaned softly and tears mingled with the blood upon her face. If she'd had any notice that they'd show her any amount of mercy, that thought was swiftly cuffed from her mind the moment she'd seen the cruel glint to the officer in charge of keeping her locked up until the Princess, her former owner, could get to her.  
  
He was forbidden by royal law to punish her himself, however, there was no such law against instucting the other slaves to do so, even though most of them felt sorry for the girl and wished her no harm. Still, if they had refused, it would have been them, as well as the little elf, facing the dreaded Princess Yarrah's wrath the next day.  
  
He looked down at her, glaring through eyes that had seen their share of cruelty, with such hatred she almost felt sorry for one who could feel so. Amid her pain and shame, for they had stripped her of the pretty nightgown Chi Chi had given her so that her nakedness would serve to make her feel even more frightened and exposed in front of those who wished only to deal her agony, Rowyn actually looked up at him from where she'd curled herself, a look of fear mingled with pity in her blood-filled eyes.  
  
The look only served to gain her a hard cuff from his thick soled black boots across the face, knocking her backwards further into the shadows of the corner. He spat; "Never look at me again, Filth!"  
  
She felt his saliva at it sped from his curled mouth onto the top of her head, dripped down into the tangle of her hair. She shivered and did not move to wipe it away. Did not move to show any short of defiance. After awhile, she heard his footfalls as he walked away and the metal door slammed shut behind him, leaving her, once more, alone within the darkness and pain.  
  
One thought escaped her before she slipped into the wonderful false euphoria which was the sleep of one who had not the strength to stay awake and deal with such hurts any longer; I knew what I have found on that world, with those nice people, could not last...I knew my nightmare would once more find me...  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Leave us, please!" Princess Yarrah ordered the gaurds and then her mother, who looked at the bound and now gagged little fair-haired elf upon the floor pallet beside the Princess' own elaborate bed, "I wish to be alone with my new slave."  
  
I'm not a slave, you little baka! Ryven fumed, fists clenching and unclenching against her bounds, if only she could think of a way out of here!  
  
** Calmly, Ryven-san. ** The voice in her head was as welcome as water in the desert, she nearly cried out behind her gag with joy, but she did not lest the royal pain in the ass notice something was amiss, ** Use your head. It's time to think, not to fight. **  
  
Ryven sighed and mentally nodded. He was right. It would do no good, even if she could get herself free, and get her sword, which she noticed was laying carelessly, sheath and all, upon the child's toychest, (of all places!), to fight her way out of there when she had no idea how many more, much stronger and better armed than either herself or the child, of course, there would be beyond the Princess' room.  
  
She knew she had to use her head and stay alive long enough to get herself and Rowyn out of here. Biting back her disgust, she knew she'd have to try and...make friends...with the brat. At least enough to get her to trust her.  
  
"Are you trying to say something, Slave?" The Princess, dressed in a fluffy pink and light blue number that looked like it cost as much as it would take to feed a family of five for a year, sparkling with different jewels and glittering as she turned about in the light, asked as she knelt down in front of Ryven's face.  
  
Ryven blinked, wishing she could reach the child's mind with her own, but when she tried, she saw nothing but what seemed like a muddied lake. The child's thoughts were there, they were just too far beneath the gunk of her forethoughts to be easily read or sent to. It gave Ryven a headache to try any further.  
  
"Are you going to bite me if I remove your gag?" The Princess asked, her fingers inching closer to Ryven's mouth, wanting, she knew, to take the gag out so that she could talk to her slave, "If you are, then, I'm just going to have to leave it in."  
  
Ryven shook her head to indicate that she would not try to harm her if she removed the gag. The girl did so, quickly, and backed away, waiting.  
  
"How is it," Ryven began, tasting the awefullness of the old clothe they'd shoved into her mouth, "That I can understand you?"  
  
"Oh," The girl laughed, and touched something hooked to her dress, something Ryven hadn't noticed before, "It's a translator. Mother got it for off some planet whose royal house owed us a favor. Everyone on the ship wears one. It makes it easier to take care of business."  
  
"Ship," Ryven mused, almost to herself, "I thought it felt...different...here. We're in space?"  
  
Princess Yarrah nodded, grinning.  
  
"Listen, Princess...." Ryven began, "Do you like to play games?"  
  
"Of course!" She clapped her hands, "My favorite kind are when someone gets hung or their head chopped off at the end! Why, do you know some games like that?"  
  
Kami! What a sick little kid!  
  
"No, but I know of a few we could play," She swallowed, "That are a little dangerous."  
  
Yeah, dangerous to me!  
  
"What are they?" Ryven could see that she'd clearly caught the girl up, and smiled softly, "Would you teach them to me...?"  
  
"Only if you let me loose, first," Ryven said, looking at her manacles, "It's kinda hard to play games with your feet and hands all tied down, you know."  
  
Without warning, the Princess spun about and screamed, causing Ryven to wince once more as the sound echoed painfully through her pointed ears. A guard entered at once, looking around with his weapon held high as if he expected to find disastor lurking the moment he entered. Calmly, Princess Yarrah walked over to him, holding out her small hand.  
  
"I would like the keys please," She said, her voice honey sweet. When the guard was not forthcoming, she added, her voice harsh, "Now."  
  
"But, Your Highness..." He sputtered, looking with fear towards Ryven, "The...the creature...she...might attack you!"  
  
"Need I remind you of the pit, Dar'shi?" She said, her voice low and filled with meaning, "We could play a new game, just you and I..."  
  
The guards face visably blanched as he stumbled with shaking fingers for the ring which held the keys to unlocking Ryven's chains. He handed them to her and waited, swallowing, to be dismissed. Holding him there a moment longer than was nessesary, she finally waved her small hand and he fairly tripped over himself on his way out.  
  
Strange little girl, Ryven thought, as the Princess went about the task of setting her captive free, I wonder how one so young learned to intimidate like that...?  
  
"There, your free," She said, backing up and smiling as Ryven stood up, thankful to still have all her clothes, "Now, show me this new...dangerous...game of yours."  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Oh, What are we going to do, Goku?!" Chi Chi cried, wringing her hands together as she paced the length of their kitchen, worry lines etched into her brow, her normally perfectly kept dark hair loose about her shoulders. Little Goten and Trunks were standing next to Goku, wide-eyed, not knowing what to do themselves, "Those poor little girls...!"  
  
"Now, Chi Chi," Goku said, trying his best to soothe his wife, "You know that Ryven can look after herself. After all, Piccolo was the one who trained her. He trained Gohan, remember?"  
  
"Don't remind me!" She spun about, glaring at him, and at the large, silent green namek who'd entered the room behind her husband, Vegeta and his wife Bulma in tow, "I nearly had a heart attack when he took our son!"  
  
"It was for his own good, Chi Chi!" Goku cried, dark brows drawing together in frustration, "As well as for the rest of the world! You know that!"  
  
"It's still no excuse to kidnap one's child and...and..."  
  
Are you sure you want to be here right now? Nail's voice, silent for so long, piped up inside Piccolo's head, It's a wonder how anyone gets anything done around here with all that bickering...  
  
Give the woman some credit, she does her best to make sure her family is taken care of and this just disrupts the hell out of her day...  
  
Hmph!  
  
"Well, Look at Gohan now, huh?" Goku said, arm akimbo, looking down at his wife with mocking satisfaction, "He's in college, just like you wanted, now, isn't he?"  
  
Chi Chi folded her arms across her breasts, refusing to give in. "Hmph!"  
  
"Enough of this!" Piccolo raged, shoving Vegeta and Bulma, who'd stayed silent and in the background for the most part, aside as he strode forward, "In case it has somehow escaped your attention, but my daughter and her friend are missing! They were taken right out from under your nose, Chi Chi and all you can do is stand there and bicker!"  
  
Taken by surprise, they could only gape at him, open-mouthed. Without waiting to see if any of them had even an inkling of an idea as to what to do next, he spun about, his long flowing white cape billowing behind him like a banner, and stormed from the house to find a quiet place in which to think the promblem through.  
  
At least he still had some mental connection with Ryven, so that he knew she was all right, for the time being. He knew, if she used her head, that she would continue to be all right until they could find a way for the girls to be rescued and brought home once more. 


	11. Seek and Hide

"So, show me what you were talking about, Slave." The Princess sniffed, looking down her nose at the newly freed Ryven. Rubbing the feeling back into her wrists, Ryven didn't spare the child even a glance, instead, she strode over to the toychest and picked up her scabbard, sword within and strapped it onto her back as she felt more than a bit naked without it.  
  
"Are you even listening to me, Slave!" Yarrah stomped her dainty foot, "I'll not have insolance! I'll not have it!"  
  
Kami, won't the brat ever shut up? I can't believe have to put up with...  
  
"If you don't answer me right now, right now, I'll...I'll..." Yarrah fumed her face turning crimson, she was clearly not used to be ignored, "Tell my mother!"  
  
Ryven snorted, what could only be discribed as half-hidden snicker before she turned back to the vastly irritated little girl. Even amidst the obvious danger to herself and Rowyn, where ever she was now, Ryven had to admit, if only to herself, that she was having fun knocking the child down a few notches.  
  
"Well, have you ever played a game called Seek and Hide?" Ryven asked, thinking that she most likley had, being a child who's been nearly all around the universe from the little bit of conversation she'd been able to pick up between the guards when they'd assumed she was still knocked out and wasn't paying attention. Still, perhaps the girl had never had anyone to play it with, being an only child and all.  
  
The Princess folded her arms across her narrow chest, looking at the elf who was, in all respects, nearly as tall as the elf. She cocked her head, pale hair falling to the side and asked, "How do you play? Is there blood?"  
  
I hope not!  
  
"Hmm, it depends..." Ryven said, pulling the girl's interest in like a fish on a hook, "If the person who's it is too slow."  
  
"Oooh! Then you get to be it!" The Princess smiled, coldly, clapping her hands, "And I order you to be too slow!"  
  
Sick little kid, Ryven thought, Oh, well, at least it's going the way I planned...or at least...the way I'd hoped! Once she's hiding I'll be free to seek out Rowyn and...  
  
"Let's get on with it, then!" Yarrah cried, "Tell the rest, and be quick about it, Slave!"  
  
Ryven narrowed her eyes at being addressed as a slave, but held her tongue. For now. There would be time to give the brat her comeupance later. She relished the thought.  
  
She told the child the rest of the game and turned around to close her eyes, holding her hands over them when the girl accused her of peeking. She sighed and began to count, slowly, listening with her more-than-acute elfin ears as the Princess scurried around trying to find a good hiding place. She heard the doors slide open and closed once, and the girl's footfalls began to fade as she wandered from the room in search of a better place to hide.  
  
It was just as Ryven wanted. Exactly as she wanted. When she was certain neither the Princess nor her guards, or, thankfully! her mother, were anywhere in sight, she opened her eyes and looked towards the door. Slipping silently through the opening after figuring out how it open it, (it seems placing one's palm in the right location and covering a certain light within the hole made the door hiss open and closed), she came upon her first obsticale.  
  
"So, Are you going to the gathering tomorrow night?"  
  
"Eh, I don't know..."  
  
"It's required, you know. She'll have our heads on sticks if we plead sick..."  
  
Rough laughter followed as Ryven hid behind the corner from the two guards, who were discussing something in a tongue she could not gather. She realized swiftly that she wouldn't be able to understand anyone aboard this vessel save for those who talked straight at her wearing one of those translator things and she was trying to avoid anyone noticing her, much less pausing to pull her into conversation.  
  
She studied the guards from a safe distance. They were so caught up in their conversation that they would probably haven't noticed her anyway, still, Ryven had been trained to be silent when need be. One was tall and thin with an obvious pouch and a slumping back as if he were ashamed of his height. He had a shock of pale auburn hair and a face filled with freckles.  
  
His partner was shorter, but more broad. Actually, the complete opposite of his companion. His skin was ruddy with a thick dark beard and long hair tied back in a top-knot upon his head. They were both dressed in the short sleeved tunics and leggings that marked the royal guards of The House of Redshale.  
  
Also, not escaping her keen notice, were the double-ended pike-like weapons, one blade was curved and jagged and on the other end was another curled blade, sharp at one end and shining with purpose. They looked similar to the ones the Princess' personal room guards had been weilding.  
  
From the way they were holding them, Ryven could tell they were more than more decorative items. Her sensitive nose told her the tale of recent slayings done by those blades by the crusting flecks of dried blood cleaning had not removed altogether.  
  
She swallowed and prayed that her training would be enough to help her pull through.  
  
Pulling her sword from it's scabbard, she let out a wordless war-cry as she launched herself from her hiding place, intent on surprise and gaining the upper hand right off the bat. The skinny guard gasped, but was no slacker. He spun around and raised his weapon up, her blade glancing off the metal of it, sparks flying, vibrating up her arm and making her fingers nearly give out.  
  
His partner attacked from behind, forcing Ryven to parry the one and then spin about and lurch forward with a kick to the other, hoping to knock his weapon from his grip. It was hard, fighting two opponites at the same time, but as the fight progressed, she could tell that they had never really fought anyone of her skill before and thier arrogance at thinking thier strength could outmatch her wit and skill was soon becoming thier downfall.  
  
"Give up, Infant!" The skinny one sneered, laughing, as he parried yet again and spun Ryven's blade around, nearly making her lose her grip, "You are no match for the Royal Guard of...."  
  
Finding an opening, Ryven struck and struck hard. Her blade, elven-crafted and thus magical, froze him the moment she stabbed it into his chest, ice crystals forming around the hole she'd made through tunic and skin, freezing the blood before it could seep out. She knew, by the way the activity had ceased behind her, that she had startled the other guard with her action. He obviously did not expect anything like what was happening!  
  
As his body swiftly began ice, the look in the gaurd's eyes were mingled hatered, shock and fear, and she pulled her sword out just as the man whispered hoarsly; "Y-you've killed me..."  
  
"You made it easy for me." Ryven said, swinging her blade in an arch. He shattered upon contact with her sword, pieces falling like rain all around them.  
  
She spun around to deal with the other guard, her eyes narrowed, sweat dripping from her face and under her arms, but he just shook his head, his weapon falling to the ground with a clatter and backed away, eyes bright. "N-no...please...!"  
  
Giving her sword a few good swipes on her cloak, she re-sheathed it and held out of hand, palm up, towards the leftover guard. "Give it to me. The translator."  
  
The guard stumbled over his clothing, unhooking the small rectangular device from his collar and handing it over, nearly dropping it as he did so. She pinned it to her own collar and pulled her fist back, punching him hard under the chin so that he fell and slammed the back of his head against the wall, knocking himself out before she stepped over his still body and continued on her way. 


	12. Survival of the Fittest

Rowyn could move only slightly. Among all the aches and pains that had been inflicted upon her by her captors nothing hurt more than what they'd stolen from her. Heedlessly, her hand drifted to her throat, where the familar chain used to hang which held the locket she so cherished. Tears blocked her vision as she curled her hand into a useless fist that fell to her side, as empty as the space about her neck.  
  
She was curled up against the wall, weeping softly, her long dark hair hiding her face like a tangled curtain, when she heard the noise. It was faint, if she'd been human she'd have missed it entirely. It was a sort of soft shuffling noise, but more pronouced, as if the person or thing making the noise was seeking something.  
  
Ryven had done her best to elude the other guards and hopefully the Princess would think she was just a crappy player and was still searching for her, she moved carefully along the hallways, looking into every room she could find without being spotted. She was just about to slip into the turbolift to the next floor and start looking there when she felt a familar tug at the back of her mind.  
  
Almost as a hunch, more of a gut feeling, and Ryven had learned to trust gut feelings, she began to feel along the walls, opening her mind and reaching out telepathically. The tiny star at the back of her mind began to grow and to glow brighter the farther along the hallway she got.  
  
Rowyn's eyes opened wide as she felt a tingling in her head, like someone was trying to pull at her attention. She shook her head and forced herself to focus more clearly upon it. She recognized it now!  
  
Ryven-san! She thought and sent at the same time. Ryven caught her sending just as her palms touched the wall she knew, felt the younger elf behind. There was no door, however, so she was at a loss as to how, exactly she was to reach her. She sent to Rowyn that she was near and that everything would be all right if she could just hold on for a few more minutes...  
  
**...Have to try and figure this out...**  
  
** There is a panel in the side of the wall,** Came Rowyn's ready, yet unskilled response, ** It's hidden a little behind the bulkhead...here...use my eyes...my memory...to see it...see? **  
  
Ryven did so, looking through Rowyn's eyes when she had been a slave here and cleaned these hallways, the sensation was un-nerving to say the least, but she used the girl's memory of the area to locate the needed panel and reached over to flip the lid upwards. What she saw confused her even more and she reached up to shove an errent lock of her pale golden hair from her eyes as she studied it.  
  
** The two blinking red lights, ** Rowyn instructed, ** Press the left one twice **  
  
She did so and a hidden panel in the wall slide open, revealing a secret chamber, the one in which Rowyn had been shoved into. She gasped to see the girl, naked and bruised, her eyes red-rimmed from crying and shivering with cold. She hated these people even more than she had thought she did, seeing, firsthand, thier cruelty.  
  
Removing her cloak from her shoulders, she draped it around the younger elf and helped her to her feet, one arm carefully wrapped about her slender waist, the other holding her upright. It was hard, she realized, for Rowyn to walk and saw that her right leg was twisted oddly and she was breathing funny, like a rib was caught in her lung or something.  
  
Kami, I hope it's not more than that!  
  
"...Ryven..."  
  
** Hush! Keep sending! We must be like mist through these halls, unnoticed...** Ryven sent, helping her out of the room and into the empty hallway.  
  
** I know of a way...** Rowyn said, coughing, blood in her mouth, ** When I was smaller, the other slave children and I...used to play...remove the panel over there...**  
  
She pointed to a circular panel in the wall, using her smaller dagger, Ryven pried it open and peered inside. It looked like a tunnel of some sort. She heard footfalls coming closer! Laughter and talking. But what if the tunnel only led to to dead end, cornering them...like rodents?  
  
Louder footsteps, more talking. No more time! She helped Rowyn inside and barely got the panel opening closed and sealed up as best she could from the inside before she heard the footsteps and the voices pass them by.  
  
** Come on...** Rowyn, hurt but doing her best to keep going, sent, crawling ahead of Ryven slowly, ** I know where this leads...trust me...**  
  
As they crawled, endlessly it seemed, her knees starting to ache from being on them for so long and her back as well from being so crunched down, a tugging began in her head again. This time she knew what it was right off the bat. She smiled grimly, thinking that come what may her Papa would be proud of her.  
  
I'm sorry, Papa! She thought, following Rowyn as they came to an erea where they could actually stand up and had room to move about before the tunnel forked in three different directions, I can't answer you yet...so tired and Rowyn needs me more than ever now!  
  
"We can talk here..." Rowyn said, her voice a whisper, it was hard for her speak, she sat against the wall, shivering, holding Ryven's cloak tightly about her shoulders, trying to gain some small bit of warmth from it. Without thinking about what she was doing, more like she was just reacting to the situation, Ryven held her hands out, palms outwards, towards Rowyn, nearly touching her but not quite.  
  
As she consentrated, her ki began to flow and form into a kind of bubble, enveloping the younger elf and herself, the warmth from it circling them and, much to Rowyn's surprise, healing much of her surface wounds and bruises. She sighed and leaned against her friend, closing her eyes in exhaustion. Ryven knew she couldn't keep this up forever and that both she and Rowyn needed to find food soon....!  
  
She felt it safe to leave the other elf there, sleeping curled against the wall, the faint light from her ki bubble still illuminating them faintly as it dissipaited slowly, while she explored a bit and tried to find what she needed to keep them both alive. She didn't know which tunnel fork to choose so she just picked the one closest.  
  
She followed it for a bit and came to an erea where there seemed to be shelves built into the walls, she held her breath, hardly daring to hope her hunch had paid off! Reaching up, she felt vaccum-sealed packages and pulled a few down ontop of her, ripping them open with her teeth. Course, yet durable material met her questing fingertips.  
  
Blankets! And some pillows! She realized and carried as many as she could back through the tunnels towards Rowyn, who was trembling in her sleep again once she arrived. Carefully and quickly she wrapped as many of the blankets she had been able to bring back with her around the girl and lifted her head to place a pillow beneath it.  
  
It's not luxury, but it's the best I can do for now.  
  
Her stomach began to growl and she realized that she hadn't had anything to eat in awhile, neither had Rowyn, though she thought the other elf probably would feel like eating...still...she had to keep up her strength somehow and eating would help the healing process along faster.  
  
It was a good thing she wasn't a human! If she were, she probably wouldn't have survived this long. Her own body was more than likely well on to the task of mending herself as she slept.  
  
Thank Kami for small favors! Ryven thought, stifling a yawn. But she knew she could not rest, not yet. She had to find them some food...anything! She'd eat rats if it came down to it! She wasn't about to give up and let either of them perish! Never!  
  
She thought of what Piccolo, Papa, would want her to do if he were with her and knew that he would never allow her to even consider the possibility of giving up!  
  
"N-no...please...!" Rowyn moaned in her sleep, moving about a bit beneath the blankets, "Don't take that away...Mother...! Please...!"  
  
Laying a calming hand to her forehead, Ryven stilled the other elf's nightmare's by sending a feeling of safty and calmness into her friend's mind. Rowyn opened her eyes a bit and looked up at Ryven in confusion. "Shh...sleep some more," She said to her, "I'm going to try and find something to eat..."  
  
Rowyn barely heard her as she drifted in and out of dreams which were more like nightmares...  
  
A few moments later, Ryven arrived back, her arms laden with artificatially grown vegetables, it wasn't much, but it least it would give them strength. She dropped the food beside Rowyn and knelt down to touch the other elf's head, frowning at what she felt. Rowyn moved a bit in her sleep, moaning softly, trying to kick free of the blankets Ryven had piled around her.  
  
Damn! She's burning up! Ryven thought, her hand still on the girl's forehead, trying to think of what she should do.  
  
"S-so hot..." Rowyn murmered, shoving free of the blankets, She shook her head when Ryven pulled them back up, "N-no...please...too hot..."  
  
"You've got a fever, Rowyn," Ryven tried to reason with her, but by the glazed look in the other elf's eyes, she knew that she barely understood, "You need to keep the blankets on you..."  
  
"M-mother...?" Rowyn reached out, her fingers grasping, shaking, towards Ryven, "I didn't mean it! I'm sorry! Please..."  
  
"Shh..." Ryven said, "Lay back. Rest. I'll...try to think of something..."  
  
Just then, her sharp ears picked up the sound of activity down the tunnel from wince they'd come. It sounded like they were trying to pry the panel off the wall. She realized that they would have to start moving again to avoid being re-captured.  
  
It's one thing after another, She thought, her heart racing beneath her breast, as she struggled to get Rowyn to her feet.  
  
"I'm sorry!" She cried, tears in her eyes, "But we can't stay in one place for too long...they'll find us! You have to try..."  
  
She heard talking in the tunnels behind them and knew they didn't have much time. Even burning up with fever and delusional, Rowyn had to wake enough to let Ryven help her get out of there! 


	13. A Ray of Hope

Wrought with worry, Piccolo hadn't been able to still the storm of his mind in several days, his gaze kept wandering towards the skies, as if he could still sence the ship which took Ryven away from him along with the little slave girl they'd thought they had rescued from that life.  
  
Standing on the ground outside the Son house, fists clenched at his side, the powerful namek looked upwards, frowning.  
  
He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned slightly to see Goku standing there, little Goten and Trunks at his feet, Chi Chi standing behind them a bit near the front door to thier house. Goku did not have to speak. His look conveyed perfectly that he knew exactly what Piccolo was going through, yet he said; "We'll get them back, Piccolo."  
  
"I know," Piccolo said, ebony eyes against emerald skin narrowing, "I have no doubt about that."  
  
Turning, he left them to look after him in concern and fear.  
  
At least Nail and Kami both were silent in his mind, for once, yet somehow, thier presence was a comfort to him.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"What's for dinner?" Vegeta asked his mate as he sauntered into thier house, slamming down into a chair and kicking his feet up onto thier dining room table, "I'm starving, woman."  
  
Brushing past him, Bulma shoved his feet off the table and opened the freezer peering inside, "Your always starving, what's the difference now?"  
  
She reached in and found what she was looking for.  
  
"Well, I'm more so now, woman!" He growled, not looking behind himself at her, as her mouth turned down at the corners, "So, what are we having?"  
  
A hunk of frozen, foil-wrapped hamburger meat conked him on the back of the head and fell to the floor with a thud. "I don't know, Dearest," She sweetened, "Why don't figure it out for yourself."  
  
Jumping to his feet, fighting the urge to rub the back of his head, Vegeta spun around to face his seething wife. "What's wrong with you?!" He practically screamed at her, "That was completely uncalled for and your lucky I don't kill you right now!"  
  
"Promises promises," She said, and moved past him, ignoring the musky scent of him which always sent her reeling, not now, she chided herself, I'm angry!  
  
"Where are you going?" He asked, not looking at the chunk of frozen meat on the floor beside the kitchen chair he'd just vacated, "What about dinner?"  
  
"Chi Chi's," She answered, grabbing her jacket on the way to the door, "And you can worry about stuffing your own face for once."  
  
"But, I..." Just then, he felt something, a familar presence, and groaned loadly, "What does he want?"  
  
"Bulma," Piccolo landed on the doorstep in front of her, she nearly ran smack into him in her rush to leave the house, he could sense the crackling energy minging of rage and desire that always seemed to surround the saiyan prince and his mate, "Wait for a moment. I need to speak with you..."  
  
"Piccolo!" Bulma said, her blue eyes wide, "Have you heard..."  
  
"From Ryven yet?" He finished for her, striding past her into the house, even though having walls around him to block out the sky and nature made him nervous, he quelled those feeling to ask Bulma what he needed to know, "No, that is why I need something from you."  
  
"What?" She asked, she'd been a friend of Goku's since he was a little kid, and had known Piccolo for a long time, at least long in human standards, but still she found it hard to be at ease around him. Until she'd met Ryven, she didn't believe anyone, save for Gohan, could be really comfortable around the stoic namek.  
  
"Can you fix the old space ship your father's been tinkering on for the past few years?" He asked, thinking that he could go after the girls himself he he as means to.  
  
She tilted her pretty face and considered, brightening, since she loved to work on things, and nodded, "I can have ready in a day or so," She said, "Dad never really was too serious about getting it working again, it was more of a way to piddle around away from Mom."  
  
Nodding, Piccolo said his thanks and that he would be back in two days, expecting results.  
  
He didn't even aknowlege the smirking saiyan leaning against the wall just outside the kitchen.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The fever had come and gone, Ryven nursed Rowyn back to reasonable health as best she could, amongst always running and keeping one step away from capture. They were lucky that walls within the walls of ship were as vast and ebaborate as a labyrith and, sneaking out into the main ship afterhours had provided them with the essintials they needed to survive.  
  
Dressed in a makeshift sleeveless dress out of ripped sheets and a tied at the waist with some cord, Ryven had found, Rowyn sat next to her against the wall chewing on a peice of bread they'd found left behind in the main kitchens when the cost was clear enough for them to scavage. "Do you think we're ever getting out of her, Ryven-san?"  
  
Ryven, who had been studying her blade and trying to calm her thoughts, looked up, unshed tears in her eyes held back back pure will alone, "Of course I do," She answered, "Don't dwell on..."  
  
She looked away, startled and closed her eyes. Rowyn perked up a bit, groaned due to the injuries inside that had not yet had time to fully heal and waited, she could feet something happening within Ryven, as if she were speaking, silently, to someone, or at least, listening. After a bit, she nodded and opened her eyes.  
  
"Papa's coming!" She cried, happiness washing over her and reaching out Rowyn, she hugged her gently, "We're getting out of here!"  
  
Crying, Rowyn sniffled and choked a bit on the stale bread, Ryven patted her on the back until she expelled the offending piece and said; "We have to get the information that tells where we are or, at least, where the ship is heading."  
  
Rowyn nodded, "We need to get to the main bridge, and we need to get there unseen," She knew how dangerous a task that would be, coughing she added, "But I can't go with you...and you don't know the way..."  
  
"I can if you show me," Ryven said, "Like we did when you showed me the panel in the wall and how to access it."  
  
"I just..." Rowyn grabbed Ryven's hands over the sword in her lap, "If you...you don't make it..."  
  
"That's not going to happen!" Ryven said, sternly, shaking her head, "Papa's coming for us and we will get out of here. Both of us!" 


	14. Escape!

She was inside her head, again, and this time it felt different than when she was trying to direct her to switch which opens the wall panel. Rowyn's presence there felt...stronger, more in control. Ryven had to hold part of herself back or risk being lost in the starfilled void which was Rowyn's mind at times. Rowyn, for her part, held herself in check and only shared that part of her which allowed Ryven see out of her eyes, use her memories.  
  
** The 'lift is down the corridor and to the right...** Rowyn's voice inside her head sounded anxious and, thusly linked, she felt the younger elf's nervousness, knew that if something were to happen she would be all alone, at the mercy of these people who had all ready done so much to hurt her.  
  
Nodding mentally, crawling out of the space only when she could sence no one was about, Ryven was determined to put her friend's fear to rest. Using Rowyn's eyes, she mapped out the course to the bridge, eluding officers and crewmembers, having a few close calls, until she reached it.  
  
** There's a computer console,** Rowyn directed, as she crouched in the shadows, hardly breathing for fear of being caught, ** In the corner, blocked by a large control board, if you can get to it, the control board should shield you from view long enough to get what you need...**  
  
Doing so, Ryven looked up at the screen, her heart beating a mile a minute as people walked around and talked and worked behind her. Having the translator chip still clipped to her clothing made it easy for her to understand them, but it did not make her any less scared. She blinked at the screen, green writting on a black background, at a loss as to what to do next.  
  
Thankfully, Rowyn had slipped in and out of restricted areas when she wasn't being kept as a pet for the Princess, out of sheer boredom and knew her way around a computer, oddly enough! Using Ryven's hands as her own, she let fly across the keyboard until she accessed what they needed.  
  
Seeing a disk about the size of her thumb upon the table, Ryven placed it into the slot and hit the copy button, downloading the information they needed onto the disk. Afterwards, she carefully secured it inside her tunic.  
  
** Now, we need to think of way to get this back to Papa...** Ryven thought and sent to Rowyn at the same time.  
  
** There's no need,** Rowyn answered, smiling mentally, ** I saw what was on the screen, I know where we are heading and you can tell him...**  
  
** That's great! ** Ryven sighed, realived, turning around, ** I can't wait to hug...**  
  
Her thought was cut short but a strong pair of hands grabbing her under her arms and yanking her out from where she'd crouched back down after she'd completed her work. Crying out, she looked up to see a tall, slender woman with hair the same hue as the Princess, staring down at her as if she were some kind of oddity. The two security guards holding her, even though she was still struggling, had grips like steel.  
  
"So, your the one who has been crawling all through my ship's innards like a rodent," The woman said, leaning down to cup Ryven's chin hin her icy grip, forcing her to look towards her, Ryven glared, but fought the urge to spit at her, "You've killed two of my best guards, little vermin, hmmm, Now, I can't have you running loose around my vessel, can I? Take her to the brig, I'll deal with her later..."  
  
Spinning around, as Ryven was dragged from the bridge, the woman said; "Find the other elf! Now!" She left to go speak to her daughter, dreading the whining little brat.  
  
Frantically, Ryven sent; ** Rowyn! They've caught me! Run! Run! I'll send to Papa, give him the images from the computer screen! Please don't let them catch you! **  
  
Gasping, Rowyn felt the connection between herself and Ryven snap and she could only guess at what was happening. Aching and scared, she prepared to move, knowing that not only did her own life, but the life of her friend depended on her. She'd never rescued anyone in her life, but it looked as if the that may just come down to it....  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Mother! I want to see the little elf now!" Yarrah whined, stamping her foot for the uptenth time, "Now!"  
  
"Yarrah!" The Queen folded her arms over her breasts, glaring down at the daughter she had come, slowly, to hate, "I am so tired of your tone..."  
  
"I don't care what your tired of!" The Princess said, "I want my slave!"  
  
"There is some...official business that much be taken care of first, Daughter," Her mother said, sighing, her head aching between her eyes, "I'm sure you can understand that we don't always get what we want, not even royalty...but, you should be happy, we are almost home..."  
  
"I am not happy!" She sniffed, sitting on the end of her bed, pouting, "Not at all!"  
  
"I know, Yarrah," She answered, walking toward the door, "But sometimes we all have to make sacrifices..."  
  
No, Mother, Yarrah thought, her mouth curving up in a sadistic grin, It's time for you to make the sacrifice...I'm old enough to wear the crown, you've been Queen for too long...it's time someone else to take over the throne...  
  
~*~*~  
  
The wind was picking up, blowing his cape about his shoulders, his gi rippling along his muscular body as he stood there, outside the cave he'd used as a place of solitude for so long, gazing out across the landscape. It was early evening and soon the lifegiving sun would be bedding down for the night, the moon rising up in her place.  
  
Sighing, he thought that he felt something missing and realized, long before now, that it was his child's presence at his side.  
  
** She'll be okay, Piccolo-san. ** Kami's voice was quiet in his mind, reasurring.  
  
** Sure, she's a strong girl, she knows how to handle herself,** Came Nail's response, ** You've taught her well...**  
  
** Her inner strength, rather than her physical strength will get her and Rowyn through..** Kami added before falling silent.  
  
Abruptly, a scream of pain and fear exploded inside Piccolo's head. Crying out, more in shock than pain, he held his head and gasped, nearly losing his balance and falling from the edge of the cliff on which he stood. Not that he couldn't have just caught himself in mid-fall, but still.  
  
"Ryven!" He cried, still hearing her mindscream inside his head, sounding so close, yet so far away. He caught flashes of images, as if he were seeing through her eyes, seeing what she was seeing and realized that, amongst the horror and pain, she was trying to send him what he needed to find her.  
  
** The corridants! ** Kami cried, hurting Piccolo's already pouding head, **Now we can go after them! **  
  
Without waiting a moment longer, he lifted himself up into the air and took off towards Capsule Corp, Ryven's message fresh in his mind.  
  
~*~*~  
  
She struggled and glared at both of the guards who held her, crying out a in pain as she felt the familar metal cuffs clasp about her wrists in front of her, holding her more securely. She didn't speak as they dragged her down the corridor towards the brig. She could understand what they said as they spoke over her head, but acted like she didn't, she had a feeling it come in handy pretending not to understand them.  
  
"This is the one who's caused all the trouble?" One asked, laughing, "Such a little thing!"  
  
"I know, Haar!" His partner replied, "What a joke! I always thought those fools were too soft for royal gurads!"  
  
"Your telling me, X'ke" Haar said, laughing, when suddenly, he paused, looking at Ryven's back where her sword was hanging in it's sheath, "What's this? Didn't you think to search her for weapons, idiot?!"  
  
"I didn't see it!" Haar cried, offended, "Her hair was in the way!"  
  
Yes, yes, yes, take it from me!  
  
Ryven thought, knowing what would happen if they ventured to examine the blade outside the scabbard. She felt them fumbling with the clasping wich held the sheath to the band about her chest, removing it from her. She cried out, pretending to be angry they'd take her sword from her.  
  
"Pretty scabbard, X'ke..." Haar said, "Not really my taste thought, let's see what..."  
  
He pulled the sword from the scabbard, as soon as he pulled the sword from it's sheath, he screamed in surprise and agony. His arm, ripped from it's socket in a bloody mess, lay at his feet. He dropped the sword, crying out and holding his bleedig stump, right on the foot of the other guard! Wearing boots, the other guard's bare skin did not touch the blade. He kicked it aside and went to his friend, bending down over him.  
  
"X'ke! X'ke!" He cried, "Are you...?"  
  
Without waiting, Ryven kicked him in the back of the head, knocking him into Haar, a series of kicks and an final bashing over the head with her cuffed wrists, and two more guards were out of the way. She fumbled in Haar's clothing for the key to the handcuffs and, using her teeth clumsily, got herself free once more.  
  
She paused only long enough to grab her sword and wipe the blade upon X'ke's tunic before returning it to her scabbard and lashing it back onto herself. She ran as fast as she could down the corridor, found another wall panel and got it open.  
  
Slipping though, she re-attached the panel and began to crawl, her heart beating wildly in her chest, hardly having time to consider her close call! 


	15. Rescue Party!

"You need to take Trunks to his doctor's appointment tommorow, Vegeta," Bulma said, sitting on the sofa and painting her toenails.  
  
Vegeta was perched on the arm, pretending not to be interested in a re-run of Melrose Place which was showing on the television set, yet every time she looked at him, he would glance away quickly as if he didn't want to get caught watching. She snickered.  
  
"He doesn't need a doctor, woman!" He scowled, "He's a freakin' saiyan for kami's sake!"  
  
"I don't care, he's getting his checkup and that's that!" She said, pausing to dip the tiny brush in the pink polish, "And make sure you get him there on time!"  
  
"Why should I have to..."  
  
"Am I interrupting something?" The baritone voice made them both stop and glance over where the namekian warrior had sudden appeared in their livingroom, arms crossed and looking, as usual, as taciturn as ever. "Bulma, have you got the ship ready?"  
  
She nodded, "Of course. I had it ready yesterday but you weren't around..."  
  
"Good," He cut in, materilizing a sheet of paper and a pen, he quickly doodled out a brief map and an area in space where the girls were being taken and handed it to Bulma. Cocking her head as she studied it, her brows wrinkled, "When can we leave?"  
  
"Piccolo, I'm not familar with this part of space..." She said, "It may take days to reach it..."  
  
"So, we should leave right now then." Was his reply, turning to go, "I'll be waiting in the ship, don't take too long."  
  
"Piccolo...I..." But he was gone before she could finish. Turning to Vegeta she said, "What are smirking about?"  
  
"With you gone I don't have to do all those asinine little things and can devote more time to my training." He beamed, positivily in seventh heaven. That was, at least, until his mate spoke up again.  
  
"Oh, forget it, Monkey Boy, you're coming with us!" She said, matching his smirk, "Now, fly over to the Son's and pick up Trunks so we can get this show on the road...or in the sky as the case may be..."  
  
"You dare..." He started, turning red and hopping down from the sofa arm, hand raised over his head towards her face. She didn't flinch but only lifted her blouse partway, exposing the bottom half of her glorious orbs, "If you don't do as I ask, Vegeta, you'll never get to see these again." She said, shaking them at him like a warning...or a threat.  
  
His fist trembling in mid-air, eyes glued to her breasts, Vegeta let out a sound like the mixture of growl and and a moan and said; "All right, woman, you win!"  
  
She looked towards the window where she could see the ship and Piccolo's back as he stood outside of it, he had decided to wait for them there rather than within the ship.  
  
Her smile became a frown as she hoped they could get to those girls in time to save them from whatever aweful fate was waiting for them at the planet they were heading towards.  
  
~*~*~  
  
A few moments later, Bulma, Vegeta, Piccolo, Trunks, (since Trunks didn't want to leave without him), Goten, and, (since she wasn't about to let her son go off flying all over the place without his family, especially his mother), Chi Chi and the rest of the Son household were seated in various areas around the ship as it sped through space, reading the corridants Bulma had fed into the computer system.  
  
"I hope we get there in time," Trunks said, strapped down next to Goten, Goku and Vegeta sitting opposite them, Piccolo seated in a secluded corner of the vessel, trying to meditate...but actually, he was just thinking what Trunks had just uttered and wrinkled his brow in concern, turning away from everyone.  
  
"Me too," Goten said, watching his mother as she chewed her fingernails, a clear sign that she was just as worried as everyone else. Goku was also watching his wife, she hardly eat or slept since Ryven and Rowyn were taken, he knew that, though she'd never admit to it, she blamed herself for what had happened, "I miss them..."  
  
"We'll do everything we can to get to them in time, boys," Bulma said over her shoulder, "I..."  
  
"Stop saying that!" Piccolo roared, suddenly, facing them once more, "We will get there in time! We have to!"  
  
Carefully, Goten unlatched himself and walked over to Piccolo, placing his small hand upon the strong namekian's shoulder, the little boy said; "Don't worry, Mr. Piccolo, Goku's my dad and he can do anything!"  
  
Instead of answering, Piccolo growled and turned away, crossing his arms and staring at the wall of the ship, unsure what to do must less say... 


	16. Murder!

Aching from various pains throughout her body, Rowyn crouched inside the tunnel, feeling for Ryven's presence with all her strength.   
  
** I'm here! ** Came the much-welcomed sent-cry, Rowyn gasped aloud and followed the mind-sound to the other elf, helped her back into the relative safety of the inner workings of the ship, where they could scurry, unseen, like mice until they found a way out of thier perdicament, ** Rowyn! Papa...** Ryven gasped, still sending to her; "Papa's on his way! I sent to him the images I saw on the computer screen...**   
  
Oh, thank goodness! The dark-haired elf gasped, pulling Ryven along with her deeper into the tunnels, Soon we shall be free of this mess...!   
  
Suddenly, Ryven cried out and grasped Rowyn by the arm, forcing her to stop. Panting with overexertion, Rowyn looked down at her friend, waiting. Images and feelings were steadily pouring into her mind, Ryven turned away from Rowyn, not wishing to burden her further and endured the unwelcome mind-touch alone.   
  
"Ryven! Ryven, what's wrong!?" Rowyn cried, tears in her large dark eyes, "Please! We can't stop now! They will be after us...we have to keep moving...can't...can't stay in one place for too long..."   
  
"...The child..." Ryven gasped, shaking, "The child...princess..."   
  
"What?" Rowyn asked, shaking her head, trying, in vain, to get her friend moving once more, inner injuries still healing and hurting with every breath, "The brat? What about her?"   
  
Ryven didn't answer, she was too far inside her mind to even aknowlege another presence besides herself and sagged limply in Rowyn's arms, her head upon her lap, as Rowyn looked down at her ashen face in barely checked fear.   
  
Inside Ryven's mind, something horrible was taking place, not only inside her mind but elsewhere upon the vast ship...within the confines of the Princess' private rooms. Ryven had no idea why she had been the one pick up on what was happening...   
  
Princess Yarrah sat upon the ruffled ottoman, gazing serenly up at her mother, the Queen, as she paced the room, back and forth, back and forth, hands clasped tight behind her back, pale hair hanging loose about her face.   
  
"Yarrah! How many times must I tell you?!" The Queen ranted, pausing in front of the girl, sneering down at her, it was no secret that the royal family had little liking for each other, "If you wish to have a personal slave, you must keep better tabs on her!"   
  
Deep within the pink and blue ruffles of her hated dress made from exotic materials from all over the galaxy, Yarrah's fingers touched something cold and hard. Inside her mind she felt the aura of another and smiled to herself, for she felt like sharing this much with the intruder...   
  
Feeling the coldness of the knife's blade upon the child's fingers as if they were her own made Ryven shudder and cry out an ineffective warning to the woman who had been so hateful to her and Rowyn.   
  
"I can't believe how irrisponsible you can be, Yarrah," The girl's mother ranted, pausing to stand with her arms akimbo, glaring down at the girl, "Do you realize that because of you, two of my best men are now..."   
  
Without further hesitation, the Princess lunged upwards, knife out, and attacked her mother. Ryven screamed and clawed at the air, unable to free herself from the hated visions, she saw everything from Yarrah's point of veiw.   
  
Grabbing her mother's hair, Yarrah plunged the knife into her throat, trying to slice across it, but being, as she was, not trained in such maniveres, she managed to jab the blade into the woman's throat, cutting off her last words.   
  
Gurgling, falling to her knees, the Queen grabbed the blade's handle and tried to pull it from her, blood seeping out like a red river to cover her hands, arms, the front of her royal gown...everywhere. Yarrah backed up, not wanting to get blood on herself and thought; I didn't know it would be so messy...   
  
Her mother reached out to her, hand bloody and shaking, eyes tearing and...Yarrah looked closer...and scared. Her mother was afraid! Yarrah wanted to laugh at the cowering creature she had always been so terrified of...her mother had never been frightened a day in her life! The very thought was funny!   
  
She couldn't help it, she had to laugh, just a little. Her mother was gurgling in her throat, trying to speak, but Yarrah could not understand her.   
  
"Little...ingrate..." The Queen gurgled, bleeding to death on the ground. She had pulled the blade free out of sheer terror and realized, in her state, that the main artery in her neck had been severed, that she did not have long to live...   
  
Without touching her, Yarrah ran to the door and pressed the call button that she was never to touch, only in cases of an emergency and ran back into the corner of the room, grabbing her teddy bear from the collection of stuffed animals and dolls upon her bed, clutching it to her breast as she curled up into the darkness of the corner, still feeling Ryven's presence inside her mind, shivering with revulsion at what she just witnessed.   
  
** You can't tell anyone what you just saw! ** Came Yarrah's voice inside her head, ** No one will believe you anyway...**   
  
The door to Yarrah's room burst open and the sudden racket rang through Ryven's ears, making her head ache more than it all ready did. Still seeing through Yarrah's eyes, Ryven saw two or three guards run over and knee down beside the seemingly stricken child, asking her frantic questions about her mother, who was her attacker and did she see anything?   
  
Yarrah shook her head, pretending to be afraid, hiding her face in her teddy bear's fur, refusing to look up. Strong arms grabbed her about the waist and hoisted her off the ground, sweeping her away from the aweful sight of her dead mother laying in a pool of her own blood and waste.   
  
Secretly, Yarrah smiled.   
"I..can't believe it..." Ryven gasped, coming back to herself, still feeling the blood on her hands, "She...killed her...she killed her own mother..."   
  
"What?" Rowyn asked, thankful Ryven was back to herself, "What are you talking about?"   
"Princess Yarrah," Ryven explained as they began moving once more, "I was mind-locked with her, somehow, I don't know...I saw through her eyes...she stabbed her mother...here." She motioned with her hand near her throat,   
"It was terrible...I..."   
  
Abruptly, Ryven's mind was filled with another, much more welcome, aura.   
** Fear not, little one! ** Piccolo's mind-touched seemed closer now, more clear. ** We are behind you by three hours, at most, Bulma says we will be within hailing distance soon...hold on! **   
  
"Papa!" Ryven cried, tears in her eyes, "He and the others will be here soon!"   
  
"Oh, Ryven, are you certain?!" Rowyn cried, wanting to laugh and cry at the same time, "Are you sure?"   
  
"Yesyesyes!" Ryven cried, hugging her friend, "Soon we'll be going home!"   
  
"But..." Ryven paused, chewing her bottom lip in thought, "I don't feel right about just letting the girl get away with murder and go on to take the crown of her people as if she had nothing to do with it."   
  
"But...we have to get home!"   
  
"I know...but..."   
  
"But, nothing, I don't know about you, but I want out of here! I never want to see this ship nor it's people again!"   
  
"She must be brought to justice!" Ryven glared, realizing that what she said was true, she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she just left it as it were. Child or not, the girl was a murderer...!   
  
But, it was as Princess Yarrah said; Who would believe her? 


	17. Space Travel

** Something isn't right…** Kami's voice sounded distant, as if he were sending from far away instead of right inside of Piccolo's mind, Nail nodded mentally his agreement as the three of them, two insubstantial, one physical, waited for the small vessel to overtake the larger one which held the two elven females captive.   
  
He could feel, even from this distance, his daughter's fear and confusion. He had not seen what had happened, only felt her emotions and wanted nothing more than to wrap his strong arms about her and chase away all the demons which had risen their ugly heads to frighten and make her life hard.   
  
** She's had too much hardship all ready in her life…** Kami spoke the words inside his heart, his dark eyes narrowed in the emerald background of his face, ** She should not have to feel so…**   
  
Piccolo didn't reply, only continued to seem to stare at nothing, the others thinking he was deep inside himself in a meditative trance, trying, as he had for the past few days since Ryven and Rowyn had been taken, to keep himself pulled together.   
  
He felt like a rubberband pulled too taut, one more tug and he would snap completely apart and wreck havoc on those around him. He took a few deep breaths, he needed to keep calm…keep calm…keep calm…  
  
"P…Piccolo?" He opened his eyes at the voice, high-pitched, child-like, and into Goku's youngest son's large brown eyes. This little one so reminded him of Goku that sometimes, taken by surprise, Piccolo would mistake the Goten for his father and be taken back…   
  
"Trunks and I were wondering…would you help us figure out this new technique while we're traveling. I mean, to pass the time…ya know?"   
  
Standing up, his turban-bound head brushing the ceiling of the ship's bridge, Piccolo nodded at the boys and they followed the powerful namekian warrior through the corridor towards the room which had been designed by the vessel's creator as an area in which to practice fighting skills and whatnot.   
  
Bulma, busy at the controls, hadn't witnessed the leavetaking of Piccolo, her son and his friend, but Chi Chi, who had been skimming through a cookbook she had brought with her, had and smiled softly to herself.   
  
At times, her youngest son's thoughtfulness could really surprise her. She went back to her book and heard Vegeta sigh in boredom next to her. He wandered over to his mate and peered down at her swiftly moving fingers as they raced across the control board as if they were separate entities.   
  
"How much longer do I have to put up with all of you?" He sneered, and she looked over, lifted her hand and traced a finger across his cheek, he growled and made to bite her.   
  
"Not much," She answered, "If your so bored, why don't you join Piccolo and the boys."   
  
"Hmph!" He said, all ready halfway to the door, "I was just about to, I just thought it would be more polite not to deny you the pleasure of my company…"   
  
"By all means," Bulma smiled sweetly, her voice dripping with honey-niceness, "Be yourself, Vegeta."   
  
"Hmph!" The doors wooshed shut behind him automatically, Chi Chi looked up and snickered softly into her hands. Goku simply looked confused and went back to studying the dust motes floating in the air about his face. 


	18. Time To Come Out!

"In less than two hours we should reach our destination," The voice over the intercom was slightly nasally, "All passengers are to gather on deck 21 for pre-exiting examintions."  
  
Ryven and Rowyn looked at each other, eyes bright with expectation. They were still inside the tunnels within the ship, having been successful in eluding capture over the past few hours.  
  
Ryven knew that Princess Yarrah's deed must have been found out by now and that was the reason they had become so lax in chasing after them.  
  
"Papa and the others," Ryven said, almost to herself, "They said they are meeting us at the..."  
  
Suddenly, the ship jerked and Rowyn crashed into Ryven, screaming. After a bit, the ship seemed to settled down and both girls looked around, holding each other, unsure of what just happened. The voice over the intercom came to the rescue of thier curiousity;  
  
"Everyone remain calm! S-something has happened...W-we seem to be..." There came a shuffling sound and something breaking, "...U-under attack!"  
  
"Is is...?" Rowyn asked, chewing on her bottom lip, dark hair falling in tangles about her face.  
  
Ryven shook her head. "No...but it feels very familar..."  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Oh, crap!" Bulma's soft oath woke Chi Chi from her catnap and she glanced over, dark eyes widening in shock, "This is not good...not good at all...!"  
  
A moment later, Piccolo and the boys appeared, breathing hard and clothing a bit more tattered than they had been before, and looked over Bulma's shoulder towards the screen which showed two small blips blinking and moving swiftly towards each other.  
  
"What's going on?" Vegeta asked, sweat dripping into his eyes.  
  
Piccolo pointed to the larger of the blips and asked; "That...that ship! It's attacking!"  
  
"Yes!" Bulma cried, holding her head and turning towards them all, "It's attacking the ship Ryven and Rowyn are being held on...look, it's so powerful...I don't know if..."  
  
"Don't be stupid!" Vegeta exclaimed, "All we have to do is get within hailing range and..."  
  
"And what?!" Bulma asked, "Ask them out to tea and cakes?!"  
  
"No...I was going to say; Goku and I could board the ship that has the girls and we could..."  
  
"No way!" Piccolo interrupted, "Ryven's my daughter, in case that has slipped your mind, if anyone's going to be boarding that ship to rescue her and Rowyn, it's going to be me!"  
  
"But, I was looking forward to a good fight!" Goku cried, "It's not fair! I'm the one who's saved the world dozens of times, I should be the one to..."  
  
Before they could launch into a head-butt of stubborness, Chi Chi spoke up, her voice loud enough that it could be heard clear across space and time; "Enough! All three of you go! It's not worth this waste of time! You three are acting like spoiled brats!"  
  
** She does have a point, you know...** Kami piped up inside Piccolo's head, making him growl under his breath.  
  
** Hmph! She should look at her kids next time she calls someone a brat...**  
  
"Hmph!" Came Piccolo's contribution to the conversation, ** Shut up, you two. **  
  
"Let me know when it's time, Bulma." He said aloud, folding his arms across his chest and falling back into his mediation, worry creasing his brow beneath his turban. Opening one eye he asked; "There is time, isn't there?"  
  
She nodded, "Yes, Piccolo, Though not much...I'll try and up the speed to get us there faster..."  
  
Piccolo turned away, he wouldn't allow others to see the fear in his heart reflected in his eyes.  
  
Softly, he sent to Ryven, hoping she was still in one piece; **I won't let you down, little one...I promise!**  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Ryven..." Rowyn whispered, "I'm afraid! What are we going to do?" The ship had been shaking periodically since they had found out about the attack and with each jar the girls knew the ship was taking more damange than it could possibly withstand.  
  
They didn't know how long they had. Ryven was scared too, but she tried not to show it in front of the younger elf, lest they both lose thier heads.  
  
"Don't worry," Ryven said, "It'll be all right. I think we ought to try and figure out what's going on..."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"We should try and see who is attacking, Rowyn."  
  
"Ooh!" Rowyn cried, "But...but doesn't that mean coming out of hiding?"  
  
"I'm sick of hiding, Rowyn!" Ryven said, "I'm sick of fleeing and feeling like a frightened mouse! I think it's time to come out!"  
  
Rowyn looked at her friend with admirition and love glowing in her brown eyes, "Whatever you want to do, Ryven, Where ever you want to go, I will follow! I give you my word!"  
  
A slight blush appeared across Ryven's nose as she took Rowyn's hand and pulled her up, "Let's get going then." 


	19. A Sudden Change of Heart

Ryven, emerging from one of the tunnels with Rowyn behind her, looked around cautiously. She could feel Rowyn's presence behind her, scared but trying hard not to show it. Ryven knew that the younger elf was struggling to be as brave as she thought her heroine was, wanted, amidst all of the horror, to make Ryven proud of her.  
  
** Do you remember which way to go?** Ryven sent to her, her mindtouch tinged with a stuble fear, **I don't want to get lost in this maze of a ship...**  
  
**Umm, there should be a 'lift about three paces to the left, Ryven...** Rowyn said, and she pointed as she spoke inside her friend's mind. The ship shook some more and they heard voices screaming from down the corridor. Thinking fast, Ryven pulled Rowyn into an open doorway. It was dark within the room and they saw people, women and men, most in a state of panic, racing through the hallway.  
  
They caught snippets of words they screamed as they ran; "We're dead!" "Not gonna make it, this time!" "I can't belive this is happening!" "Where's the Queen?!"  
  
** I thought they all ready knew...? ** Rowyn began but Ryven interrupted her.  
  
** Maybe they haven't yet told the rest of the ship...** Ryven said, **After all, they wouldn't have had time, what with this sudden attack and all...**  
  
** You said that you could feel the attakers, Ryven,** Rowyn asked as the crouched in the dark, waiting for the corridor to be clear once more, **You said they felt...familar...what did you mean by that?**  
  
Shaking her head, her side-braids coming loose and her hair framing her drawn and tired face, Ryven said, softly, "I...don't know. I just felt...something...something cold...and dark..."  
  
Just then, the lights in the room they had chosen to hide within momentarily shone in brightness upon them. Ryven gasped and, more as a reflex than anything else, shoved Rowyn behind, drawing her sword with nearly the same breath, blinking her eyes to get them used to the sudden change in light.  
  
"Well, well, well," Came a sickening familar voice, Ryven felt her insides twist and knot, "What have we here? Two little mice sneaking around in the dark?"  
  
The little girl stood in the center of the sparsely funished room, three armed gaurds, more muscular than thier own good, flanked her, grinning cold smiles upon the suddenly trapped little elves. The door swooshed closed and locked behind them. Rowyn shivered in spite of all her efforts and hid behind Ryven, afraid of the little girl and her cold, cold eyes.  
  
"Seize them!" The Princess, now wearing her mother's crown, even though it fell comically over her eyes and she had to constantly keep shoving it back into place, cried, pointing at the two elves, "I don't care what you do with the dark-haired one, but I want the blonde! I wasn't done...playing...with her, yet..."  
  
Ryven lashed out with her sword, baring her teeth at the men as the tried to take her down, she killed one in mere moments and another lost his arm, he watched in horror as it fell from his arm, ice-changed and shattered upon the floor. Missing one arm, he backed away from the snarling little thing and held his stump, his life's blood having been stopped from the ice forming about his stump and swiftly consuming him within it's ice-crystal grip.  
  
Gasping, the third gaurd, looking from his fallen comrades, both having shattered when thier ice-changed bodies hit the floor, the third gaurd threw his weapon to the floor and backed away behind his small mistress, begging for his life.  
  
"You idiot! I told you to seize them!" She screamed, her face red with fury, "Your duty is to me, fool! Seize her!"  
  
Looking from Yarrah and to Ryven, daring him to even try to approuch her, the man, who looked younger than the others had been, shivered, uncertain. He knew that if that odd sword the girl held touched him, that he would die, but he also knew that if he failed to do as the Princess, now self- proclaimed Queen, demanded, that she would have a far more horrid death in store for him.  
  
Because his father had done her mother's bidding before him, and he knew he would have always done the bidding of the daughter, the young man advanced upon the elves, trying not to show his terror as a cold sweat broke across his body, chilling his all ready icy blood.  
  
A few moments later, Ryven approuched a now frightened little girl. She held up the point of her sword, barely touching the underside of the girl's chin, but not quite. "You are a disgusting creature." She began, and the girl, glaring through her fear, backed away, forced to sit down on the floor by Ryven's sword and looking up at her, her face twisted in rage, "You killed your own mother. For that alone I should run you through..."  
  
The little girl blinked up at her, huge tears forming in both eyes, running down her cheeks as she let out sudden, frightened wail that sent Ryven backwards, ears twitching in pain. She looked over and saw Yarrah had folded in on herself, hugging her knees to her chin, shivering and crying. "Let me alone! Let me alone!" She cried, sniffling, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"  
  
Ryven felt Rowyn approach from behind her, felt her reach out empathically towards the little girl, needing to free her from her pain, no matter what the girl did to her...it was just her nature...but Ryven stopped her before she touch the child, holding her by the wrist.  
  
"But..."  
  
"Don't, Rowyn-chan..." Ryven said, "I mean it. She has a lot to atone for...though I really believe this may be just a trick..."  
  
As though she didn't hear the exchange, Yarrah went on sobbing and shaking back and forth, crying out to be left alone and that she was sorry.  
  
"Help me with her." Ryven said, after re-sheathing her sword, she was trying to carry the little girl to the bed, Rowyn took the girl but the feet and Ryven under her arms, they dragged the girl to the bed and tucked her under to covers. The ship shook as it was hit again, the lights flickered. Ryven looked at the child once more, as she had stopped sobbing and now seemed to sleep, her chest rising and falling with her breathing, seeming deep in thought.  
  
"What are you thinking, Ryven?" Rowyn asked, afraid of the answer, a strange look, a mixture of pity and blame, passed across Ryven's eyes as she looked at the child that had caused them so much trouble. "Ryven?"  
  
The girl's mother's crown was laying on the floor, sparkling coldly in the flickering overhead lights. Without thinking more, Ryven tugged back the bed's blankets and yanked the girl by her arm to the floor in a heap. The sudden movement should have snapped her out of her state, but it did not. The girl continued to sleep, tears drying upon her round cheeks.  
  
"Ryven!" Rowyn cried, her hand flying to her mouth, "What are you doing?!"  
  
"I realized something, Rowyn," Ryven said, trying to explain, "We can't leave her. The main reason we have to keep her with us is that she can call more of those men down on us until we are completely surrounded and I am too tired to fight anymore. The other reason is that...damn it! I feel sorry for her!"  
  
"Y-you what?!" Rowyn cried, "After all she...she did to us? After what she did to her own mother?!"  
  
"Her mother was evil," Ryven said, "And I believe she spread her evilness to her child, I believe that what this child was, what she did, was more her mother's fault than her own. She's hurt bad, Rowyn, I hadn't realized that before, before...My head was just too clouded by anger, I couldn't see past it..."  
  
"Hurt?" Rowyn asked, looked at the child for tell-tale marks of injury.  
  
"She's hurt in her mind," Ryven said, touching her temple with one finger and then Yarrah's, "And in here." She added, touching her own chest where he heart beat beneath her flesh and clothing and then laying her hand breifly upon Yarrah's chest. "I think maybe, if we take her home with us, that perhaps Dende..."  
  
The ship shook and lurched again, sending the girls flying into each other. Ryven felt Piccolo's mental presence, along with Nail and Kami, flickering inside her mind, letting her know that they would be with her shortly, she just had to keep herself and Rowyn together. A single thought, more a feeling than words, washed over her from Piccolo alone and gave her renewed strength...  
  
** I'm proud of you, Ryven...** 


	20. An Ace Up Her Sleeve

On the bridge, the royal crew were doing thier best to stay focused amid such a tragedy as lossing Queen Palena and such fine young men in the course of the past few days. A young female ensign, Tel, was taking the events particularily hard. The captain watched her from a distance as she stared at her control panel, seemingly lost as to what to do next. He saw her shove a length of her dark hair out of her eyes and sigh.  
  
They were lucky, for some reason unknown to them the ship that had been attacking had veered off abruptly and disappeared into hyperspace. Tel had paused momentarily when it happened, to wonder what had caused them to suddenly leave off their attack. Then she just thanked the gods it was over...  
  
Captain Belcourt felt sorry for her. She was new and hadn't lost anyone until a few days ago when her fiance had been ordered to try and capture the prisoners once again and had paid for it with his life. She didn't understand that in space, amongst enemies, certain...allowances...had to be made. She turned her head slightly and he caught the niave, innocent look in her dark brown eyes give way to something much more colder...bitterness.  
  
'Atta girl, he silently applauded her, stay tough, it's the only way to survive out here...  
  
Suddenly, the panel in front of her began to blink and Tel wiped an errant tear from her eyes, speaking up, "Sir, we are being hailed!"  
  
"On screen." Captain Belcourt barked, forgetting about the young ensign to focus on the screen in front of him, where a strange being with green skin, a woman with blue hair and pretty matching eyes and a dark-haired young man with a vacant, yet innocent expression appeared.  
  
"This is the Blue Beauty," The woman chimed, "We insist that you hand over the two female...slaves..." Bulma hated to use such an ugly word, but feared there was no help for it. "Now."  
  
"I'd do it, if I were you, sir," The young man said, "You don't want to see her when she's mad..."  
  
"My daughter and her friend better be in one peice if you know what's good for you." Piccolo growled.  
  
"What is this?" Captain Belcourt cried, outraged, "How dare you threaten me! I'll not stand for it!"  
  
"You'd better stand for it, Buster!" Bulma narrowed her eyes. Secretly she thanked the gods for the time she'd been allowed to fiddle around with the ships controls and whatnot while the boys played in the ship's anti-gravity training room. Goku looked at her with a stunned expression, wondering what she was up to. "Give us back the elven girls and maybe we'll let you go without further incident..."  
  
"That's it!" Belcourt cried, his face as red as his uniform, "I will not stand for such insolance in a female! Ensign Tel! Arm the cannons!"  
  
"But, Sir..." Ensign Tel stumbled, "T-the ship c-can't take anymore..."  
  
"NOW!"  
  
At the same moment, Piccolo pulled Bulma aside, panic flashing across his normally sedate features; "What are you doing, Bulma?! Are you crazy?!"  
  
She knew he was thinking what they all were thinking, that her ship; the Blue Beauty, couldn't possibly stand an outright attack at such a short distance from such a large vessel...  
  
"Shh..." Bulma whispered, aside to Piccolo, "I have a few aces up my sleeves, don't worry."  
  
She punched a few buttons on the display pad in front of her, without taking her eyes from the angry face beaming at her from the veiwscreen, a secret half smile across her own features.  
  
Tel didn't know what to do other than to obey the order she'd been given. It was what she'd been trained to do. She hit the lever that would bring the cannons online and closed her eyes briefly, praying that the ship would hold up for just a little longer. They had suffered considerably damage from the recent attack and, as she felt the ship shudder and the lights flicker once more, she wondered if it would soon be the end.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Ryven held the princess up with an arm about her stomach, dragging her along with Ryven's help. For such a little thing, Yarrah seemed to weigh a ton! They paused in the hallway where Ryven dropped the girl against a wall, needing to rest for a moment. She was so tired, mentally as well as physically, and it took all her willpower just to psych herself into standing back up again.  
  
People were screaming all around them, shoving each other out of the way, racing down corridors. All of them were too far caught up into their own panic to notice three small females trying to make their way down the hall. Too much was happening, although Ryven knew that it wouldn't be long before they noticed their little Princess was missing.  
  
Then she felt it. Like a ray of sunshine beaming it's warmth down upon her through the darkness of turbid storm clouds. A flicker across Rowyn's face told her that the younger elf had felt it too. ** They're here! ** She cried inside Rowyn's mind, her releif and happiness overwhelming, ** Papa's here!**  
  
About that moment, Yarrah had begun to stir. Ryven noticed right away and turned to her. Blinking, Yarrah looked around in confusion, she didn't know what was going on. The ship was shaking and lights wouldn't stay on. She felt scared and didn't know what to do. She looked around for someone to help her. There was always someone to do everything for her.  
  
Unbidden, tears began to fill her eyes and drift like sparkling crystals down her cheeks, before either elf could do anything, Yarrah opened her mouth as wide as it would go and wailed; "I want my Mamma!"  
  
Quickly, Ryven jumped down to her and clamped a hand over the child's mouth, stilling her cries. She hissed into the girl's ear, done with any sort of coddling this child may have gotten in the past, there was no time for it, now, "Be quiet! Your mother's dead! If you don't want to join her I'd clam up if I were you!"  
  
Rowyn gasped at Ryven's harsh words, she'd never seen her friend that way before and the look in the blonde elf's eyes frightened her. Ryven knew she was making Rowyn nervous, but nothing, especailly not this spoiled little brat was going to keep her from going home! But, to put her at ease, Ryven smiled at Rowyn breifly before turning back to Yarrah, "Do you understand me, Yarrah?"  
  
"That's Princess Yarrah!" Yarrah sneered, when Ryven let her hand up, Yarrah crossed her arms over her chest and looked at them sideways.  
  
"You can call yourself Queen Oobie-Doobie of the Dancing Leprechauns for all I care," Ryven said, "And you are coming with us to be healed and that is that!"  
  
Without waiting, Ryven and Rowyn each grabbed a hand and pulled the girl along with them, who was not wailing anymore but pouting outright. Ryven secretly wondered if she were doing the right thing. But, if they could have Dende heal her mind and heart and convince her that things like slavery were wrong, perhaps she could go back and, as leader, make a new law...  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted as the lights flickered once more and went out altoghter, casting them into darkness. The stars outside the windows seeemed to glow and twinkle like gems upon velvet. Then she noticed something, in several areas the stars seemed to shimmer, move, like water over glass, it was very subtle and normal, human eyes would not have caught it. Before she could stop herself she gasped.  
  
"Rowyn, look!" She let go of Yarrah's hand to point out of the roundish shaped window, "What do you see?"  
  
"Ships!" Rowyn gasped, as ten or more fighting class vessels seemed to appear out of nowhere around them, "I can't believe it...!"  
  
"They must have been cloaked..." Yarrah said.  
  
"Why didn't we feel anything, Ryven?" Rowyn asked, now trying to reach out mentally towards the new vessels, to see what she could find. Her mind hit a brick wall and seemed to bounce back towards her. She couldn't get through.  
  
"They must have some kind of mentally cloaking device as well," Ryven said, then, as she continued to stare, noticed something else that made her smile; "Hey! I can see the Capsule Corp logo on the nearest ship's hull! They're on our side!"  
  
~*~*~  
  
Goku looked from the vessels appearing outside the ship to Bulma, who was smiling with self-satifaction, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes closed, "How...?"  
  
She opened her eyes and looked at them, "While you guys were...uh...training...I used the time to call in a favor. Having money does have it's perks, you know!"  
  
"What is this outrage?!" Captain Belcourt was screaming, his fists clenched in front of him, Tel was somewhere in the darkness with the rest of the bridge's crew, trying to get the lights back online, "H-how dare...!"  
  
"Oh, knock it off!" Vegeta growled, his patience already wearing thin, "Give us the girls and we might let you go free...!"  
  
"You know," Goku said, sounding alot more friendly than either Vegeta or Piccolo, "You may as well do what they say, you really have no choice..."  
  
The fighters surrounding them were all waiting on orders from the Blue Beauty.  
  
"Damn you!" Belcourt screamed, but lowered his head, he knew when he'd been backed into a corner. Without waiting, Piccolo touched his brow and shimmered out of sight.  
  
** Why didn't you just do that in the first place?!** Nail screamed, making Piccolo wince, ** Baka! **  
  
** Leave him alone, Nail! ** Kami sniffed, ** Can't you see he was under alot of stress, no one thinks straight under those conditions...! **  
  
Ignoring them, Piccolo appeared on the ship's bridge, darkness around. Quickly, he lifted his hand and focused slightly, making a medium-sized ki ball grow from a flickering flame off his fingertips to a glowing orb of light that would illuminate the area around him. Belcourt gasped at the sight of the large, powerful namekian in the flesh but did not try to stop him.  
  
Piccolo brushed passed him, and feeling for his daughter's signature ki, made his way towards her, the orb upon his hand lighting the way. 


	21. Reunited At Last

Frighted and extremely tired, Rowyn held onto Ryven's hand as the older, lighter-hued elf held Yarrah's small hand with the other, as the three of them picked thier way through the hallway in the darkness. Every few seconds Ryven would feel Rowyn squeezing her hand and sent her mental images of calmness to put her at ease.   
  
Looking up, for she could still feel Piccolo's ki nearer and nearer and that gave her hope, Ryven gasped at what she saw.   
  
"Papa!" She cried aloud as the glowing orb came into view, Piccolo's beloved green features illuminated behind it. Understanding, Rowyn let go of Ryven's hand and pulled Yarrah back as Ryven stumbed forward, running towards the light and used her own ki to boost herself into the air high enough to be caught up into a strong one-armed embrace, hugging Piccolo highly. "I thought I'd never see you again..." She cried, tears streaking down her cheeks.   
  
"Don't talk that way, Little One..." Piccolo said, before turning to Rowyn and Yarrah, "Come on, let's get the hell out of here..."   
  
He paused for half a second at the sight of Yarrah, but at a sudden shuddering of the ship, decided that it wasn't time for any questions. He had to get them back aboard the Blue Beauty and fast! He could teleport himself and Ryven, he thought, igoring the suggestions and just plain yelling, from Nail and Kami inside his head, but he'd never tried....  
  
** Knock it off, Piccolo! ** Nail screamed, as the ship shook again, ** They're too small to be of much trouble! Just try it and let's get off this death-trap!**   
  
** Why don't you ask Goku if he'd..."   
  
That's it! He closed his eyes and conjured up an image of the smiling, happy-go-lucky saiyan, focusing on calling him telepathically with his request. Before he could finish his sentence, there was a change in the air current beside him and the dark-haired warrior appeared, picked up a gaping Yarrah, grabbed Rowyn's hand and said; "I'll take these two back to The Blue Beauty and wait for you there." and flickered out of sight.   
  
A mere second later, Piccolo and Ryven joined them.   
  
***   
  
In a panic, Caption Belcourt cried and threw himself down onto the floor, crawling under a console that was shooting sparks everywhere. Wailing like a baby he cried; "We're all doomed! Doomed! I don't wanna die! Mommmieeee!"   
  
Ensign Tel, standing among those of the crew who knew they were about to die and did not to do so without dignity, could not believe what she was seeing, or actually, since the lights hadn't yet been restored, hearing. She had grown up among tales of Caption Belcourt's bravery and goodness. She had placed him as a hero in her mind and heart. In fact, he was the very reason she'd enlisted in the first place. She had wanted the chance to serve under her hero and perhaps grow to be as brave and good as he.   
  
Now, though, as she listened to him bawling on the floor, she felt all her hopes and dreams shatter like a glass vase thrown off a high building. Nothing would put the peices back together after this. She felt all the admiration in her heart leaking out, replaced by a new feeling she suddenly had for him; disgust. She looked around, as if suddenly shoved out of a trance and realized the danger the ship was in, the danger she was in.   
  
She was young, in her twenties still, and everything in life that she'd wanted, dreamed, hoped for someday, came flooding into her mind. As if to taunt her with what she could not have, what might have been, had the ship not been about to blow up and kill her and the rest of the crew. Swiftly, she tried to think of all she could do to save them all and came up short. There was simply no way! Trying to hold back tears, she felt her way across the room to the 'lift, slipping inside and slamming her hand down on the wall-buttons.   
  
It began to move, jerkily and once she reached the floor she thought was the correct one, she waited for the doors to open and half ran, half-stumbled through the dark corridor, shoving past the remaining people who hadn't had time to get into escape pods and made her way towards an empty pod that had not yet been boarded or jettisoned. Punching in the code that would open the hatch, she crawled inside and closed herself tight, flicking the switch and typing in the code that would set her free from the shaking, dark mass that had been her home for so long.   
  
***   
Hugging the girls to her as she knelt down, Chi Chi's tears fell into thier hair, "You don't know how worried I've been!" After that, she held Rowyn out as arm's length as Ryven quickly stepped backwards towards Piccolo, "How dare you allow yourself to be kidnapped, Rowyn! Don't you know much..."   
  
Instead of continuing to scold her, Chi Chi broke down into a fresh round of sobs. Rowyn, not knowing what else to do and clearly ill-at-ease, patted the human woman lightly on the shoulder, "Please stop crying, Chi Chi-san!" She said, "I'm all right now, see, nothing broken...though I am very tried..."   
  
At the same time, Ryven yawned and Yarrah screamed; "What is this place!? I want to go home! I want my Mommy!"   
  
Vegeta looked over at her and said; "So, who's the brat?"   
  
Yarrah paused, sniffled, raised her face, folded her arms across her chest and said in her most haughty tone, "I am not a brat! I am The Princess Yarrah of Redshale..." They didn't catch the rest as laughter filled the bridge of the Blue Beauty at the sight of Vegeta's shocked expression.   
  
"Hmph!" Vegeta finally managed, "You sure sound like a brat, Your Highness!" He added a mocking bow with great flourish to this last part and Yarrah glared at him.   
  
"Oh, Great!" Bulma complained, before turning back to the ship's controls, "Don't tell me I have to put up with two of them now..."   
  
She punched in a series of numbers and other things that were too hard to see due her fast typing and a moment later the previously cloaked ships had veered off and disapeared.   
  
"The other ship!" Ryven cried and Piccolo fell to his knees, clutching his head. Rowyn gasped and turned towards the viewscreen, where all that was left of the once majestic ship was a sudden fireball. (A/N: I know fire would be impossible in space, but this IS fan-fiction...) Ryven caught something falling away from the ship and cried out; "Look! An escape pod!"   
  
"Someone's aboard!" Piccolo said, "I can feel them...scared..."   
  
"We can't just let whoever it is be killed!" Rowyn cried, "Please! It wouldn't be right...not if we can save them! I feel bad about all those people who hadn't time to escape...I know there were alot more still on board..."   
  
"I know," Ryven said, and shuddered, turning her face away, buring it within the folds of Piccolo's cape, "I felt them..."   
  
"Don't worry," Goten and Trunks said, at the same time, which was kind of weird, but no one thought anything of it since they were normally stuck to each other like glue, "It'll be all right, watch!"   
  
Bulma steered the ship around so that the end was in front of the falling escape pod, flicked on the tracker beams and opened the rear enterance, sucking the pod into the ship and closing it all up tight once more.   
  
"I'll stay here," Bulma said, "The rest of you..."   
  
Before she could finish everyone was racing down to the hangar to greet the newest passenger.   
  
"Always left behind to do all the dirty work," She pouted, but secretly smiled, looking forward to a hot fudge sundae once they got home again. And, she thought, an overdue birthday celebration to put in order! That would fun, she loved to orginize parties!   
  
***   
  
"Y-your Ensign Tel, aren't you?" Rowyn asked, recognizing the pale, dirty face with a few scratches on it, "I remember you, you were always lurking in Captian Belcourt's shadow..."   
  
"Be careful!" Piccolo growled, "She might be here to get revenge for her fallen captain..."   
  
Shaking her head violently, Tel said; "No! I swear it, I am not here to cause trouble! I simply wanted to..." She hung her head, ashamed at herself for running away, "I simply wanted to stay alive..."   
  
Pulling away from the others, Rowyn stepped foward and helped the woman from the roundish-shaped pod. "So did I."   
  
In the breif moment it took to touch her hand, Rowyn read all she could from the woman's emotions and proclaimed her honest to the surrounding group. She'd have been able to recognize if she'd been lying from the moment she touched her hand.   
  
"I used to believe in Belcourt and our Queen and...everything they told me...grew up believing in it all," She said to them, "But now...after what I saw, after all that happened..I just...don't know what to believe any more..."   
  
** Looks like another one for Dende...** Ryven whispered mentally to Piccolo, she'd told him and the rest of them about Yarrah and the reason she was with them, of course.   
  
Piccolo nodded, understanding.   
  
"I don't know about you," Chi Chi said at last, "But I am beat! Come with me, Rowyn, Ryven, Yarrah..." She paused, looking at Tel.   
  
"Wren," Ensign Tel said, "My name is Wren Tel...I don't mind if you all call me Tel, though, it's what I'm used to."   
  
Chi Chi smiled and Tel added, "And sleep never sounded so good!"   
  
"You'll all feel a hundred times better after you've gotten some rest and then, when we get back to Earth, baths are in order for each of you!"   
  
***   
  
Tel fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, the back of mind flickered over a thought that mentioned something about people coming after her because she's basically a.w.o.l. but she was too tired to think about it further. She'd been given a cot right beside two three others that slept the little Princess, snoring away loudly, and Rowyn and Ryven.   
  
Before Rowyn could fall asleep, Ryven reached over touched her shoulder. ** I have something for you.**   
  
She knew Ryven was speaking mentally to avoid waking Tel and Yarrah. ** What?**   
  
** This.* Ryven reached around her neck and pulled out a necklace, undoing the latch and handing it over to Rowyn, who gasped in shock and pleasure at the sight.   
  
"M-my locklet!" She whispered, holding it to her breast lovingly, "How did you ever..."   
  
"Shh!" Ryven said, smiling, "Let's just say Bulma's not the only one with a few aces up her sleeve."   
  
With that, Ryven climbed from the cot and made her way to where she knew Piccolo was mediating. Without a word, he opened his arms and arranged his cloak around them both as she curled up in his lap and, floating in a quiet corner of the ship, slept soundly, feeling more protected than she had in days.   
  
Piccolo smiled softly, relieved to at last have his daughter with him once more.   



	22. Homecoming

Pausing, the broom held tight in his hands, the young namekian looks towards the horizon, a strange expectant expression playing across his handsome features. A slow smile spread across his lips as he handed the broom he'd been using to sweep the garden paths atop the lookout clean of fallen leaves to Mr. Popo.   
  
"They're back!" He cried, hardly controlling his own emotions, he was so glad to feel Ryven's ki amongst the returning party, "I can feel Rowyn, too! But there are some new people I haven't met before, I wonder..."   
  
"Mr. Popo's just happy the girls are safe once more!" The dark skinned man grinned, "Mr. Popo has lost nights of sleep worrying..."   
  
"Your not the only one, my friend!" Dende agreed, "They're very near the Earth! I can feel them!"   
  
***   
  
"I'm sooo tired of this!" Trunks complained, he was sitting next to Goten on the bridge. Chi Chi was in the back with the elven girls and Princess Yarrah. The newest member of thier little group; Tel, was helping Bulma work the controls so that it was easier to fly the ship. Though, she wouldn't say so aloud, Bulma appreciated the much-needed help. "All you can see for hours and hours is blackness and stars...I am sooo sick of all the stars!"   
  
"Oh, lighten up!" Goku grinned over at him, Vegeta glared at them both from his spot in the corner of the room near the shadows where he wouldn't be bothered, "Your just cranky 'cause you haven't had a decent meal in days."   
  
"Yeah!" Goten piped up, making a face, "Just this gross-out space pre-packaged pureed crap they call food when it's not even ediable, really!"   
  
"I've always said; both human and saiyan are flawed," Piccolo's low voice came from where he was floating towards the ceiling even with the gravity on normal, "Namekians know what a waste of time and energy having to eat all the time is. Just water and sunlight and the time saved can be put towards more important things; like training."   
  
"Well, excuse me for being born human!" Bulma said, in her snotty voice she tended to save for when she was particually offended. She tossed a crumpled up sheet of computer paper at green and purple shape floating above her, which he ducked with little to no effort, shaking his head at her, "Not all of us were born into a perfect species!"   
  
"Hey!" Vegeta snorted, "Speak for yourself, woman! Saiyans are perfection! Why..."   
  
"Yeah!" Goten interrupted, not catching the death-glare aimed at him by his best friend's father, "Look up totally awesome in the dictionary and there will be a picture of my dad!"   
  
Just then, before an all out quarrel could take hold of them, Rowyn stepped out of the 'lift and entered the room. She'd slept for awhile and felt refreshed. She'd found a standard blue with white trim nightshirt that reached her ankles and a pair of matching blue and white socks that made her feel alot better than her tattered clothing. She had allowed Chi Chi to pull her hair up off her neck and braid into a plaited crown about her head.   
  
She had to admit, with her hair needing washed something horribly, having it off her neck was a comfort!   
  
The only thing that would make her feel a hundred percent better would have been a bath of some kind. But she knew that Bulma's ship wasn't built for long journeys so it had no shower or bath installed. If they had to use the toliet it was equipted with a standard Capsule Corp. space vessel elemination tank, that took her a few tries to get the hang of, afraid, at first, she was going to be sucked into space if she wasn't careful.   
  
Though she didn't come to the bridge to daydream about the first few hours she'd been aboard or to wish for things that couldn't be at the time being. Piccolo opened his eyes from where he was meditating and flew down gracefully to the floor of the ship, landing in front of Rowyn. The young elf, for her part, did not avert her eyes when he looked hard at her.   
  
So much had happened in such a short, yet seemingly long time, that had served to alter the otherwise timid little elf. Piccolo could feel it when he was near her, she had learned alot and her ordeal had made her stronger, more self-reliant he noticed right away and less apt to be frightened by someone merely staring at her. A feeling of pride coursed from Nail and Kami and, he had to admit, if only to himself, that he too shared in that emotion.   
  
Yet, something wasn't right. He could feel that from the moment the small, dark-haired elf walked onto the bridge, Something was right at all.   
  
"Ryven?" He asked, though he couldn't feel anything out of place coming from her, still, he was a father to her and fathers worried, "Is she...?"   
  
"She's fine," Rowyn said, "Sleeping still, Chi Chi wanted to wake her up to get her eat something, but she basically told her off and Chi Chi's about to burst she's so mad...!"   
  
"I don't care about that..." Piccolo stopped himself before he could say it, glancing sidelong at Goku, but Nail, inside his head, finished the thought.   
  
** loud-mouthed harpy! **   
  
** That isn't the least bit polite, Nail!** Kami scolded, though he snicked as well, ** I believe you've been trained better than that! **   
  
"What's the matter, Rowyn?" He tried again, "I can feel something's wrong, so don't try to hide anything from me."   
  
By this time, the others on the bridge had drifted closer, thier attention caught, waiting for the little female to answer.   
  
"I wouldn't do that!" Rowyn cried, looking away, "It's...it's Tel!"  
  
"Tel?" Piccolo asked, "The woman we rescued from an exploding ship a few hours ago? What about her?"   
  
"I don't..." Rowyn tried to explain, but she had a hard time putting gut feelings into words, she didn't want to sound...paranoid or anything, "I don't know. I just have a...feeling. I can't really explain it..."   
  
"Hmmm..." Piccolo turned away, seeming deep in thought. He was, actually, mentally touching Tel's mind with his out, carefully scanning to see if he could figure out where Rowyn's strange feeling was coming from. "Very odd..."   
  
He closed his eyes, the darkness behind his lids helping him concentrate. Tel, pretty and young, yet hurting so much inside, emotional wounds which took far more time to heal than did ones of the flesh, felt him uninvited little rummage and suddenly slammed down all her barriers at once, making Piccolo certain she was no stranger to telepathy, and also that she had something she wished to keep hidden from them. He'd felt the sudden panic just before he'd been locked out.   
  
"Well?" Vegeta asked, "Do we blast her into a million peices or what?"   
  
"Don't be so crude!" Bulma cried, wishing he were closer so she could smack him one, "Piccolo?"   
  
"I can't seem to read her," Piccolo said, shaking his head, "So, I suggest we just keep an eye on her."   
  
"Don't you trust her, Piccolo?" Goku asked, looking just a tad bit confused as to what was going on, but, really, wasn't that pretty much how Goku normally looked?   
  
"About as far as Bulma can throw me, Goku." Piccolo answered, before going back to his meditation, "But, who knows, I may be wrong."   
  
***  
  
They arrived a few hours later, Dende was waiting for them when they got to the lookout, Mr. Popo standing off to the side, waiting for a quieter moment to greet everyone. Amid laughter and hugs, Dende spied the new ones, axious to finally meet them face to face. He pulled away from an overly affectionate Trunks and moved to approach the tall thin young woman who'd had her hair cropped short to her head standing next to a young child who seemed to have no just blonde hair, but snowy-white hair!   
  
He held out his hand to the older one, smiling at her in friendliness and welcome; "Welcome to planet Earth!" He said once he'd wrapped his own green-hued hand about her peaches and cream colored one, "My name is Dende. I am the gaurdian of this fine world. I hope you find it to your liking."   
  
Tel nodded, slipping her hand out of his and moving both her hands to a position behind her back, where she stood. "Thank you very much," She replied, her eyes quinting at the afternoon sun, "Dende?"   
  
"Yes." The young namekian, from that brief contact, had felt something...something more than mere wounds that needed healed. He wasn't sure what it was, but it made him think of darkness and he had to force himself not to shudder in front of her.   
  
"Sorry," She smiled, not seeming to notice him suddenly being ill-at-ease, "I have trouble with names, sometimes. I guess it was just my luck to have been gifted with a very simple one."   
  
"My name is Prince Yarrah!" The white-haired child butted in, shoving Tel hard with her hip, glaring at her, "You know that royalty is always introduced first, Commoner!"   
  
Dende looked down at her and could feel the hurt and pain coming from this small child as well. He touched the top of her head and pulled his hand back as if he'd been burned. Oh...He cried to himself, What has she done...?! He would heal almost anyone if only they would ask, but he shied away from even touching anything that had the taint of murder about them. Such as this little one here. He couldn't believe it much less understand it. How could such an innocent, alright, if he was to be honest with himself she did come off a little like a spoiled brat, little child commit such...  
  
He shook his head. No! He thought savagely, It can't be true! There is no way I will believe it! She's just a child who got caught up in things out of her control!   
  
He didn't catch Tel and the princess exchanging a swift look with each other. No one had. Rowyn stayed close to Ryven and Piccolo, afraid to accidently end up alone with either the spoiled little princess or Ensign Tel. She could tell, as could Ryven, that something was not at all right with either one of them!   
  
Ryven secretly hoped deep within her heart of hearts that Dende could heal them of the darkness that seemed to fill them and show them what it was to house illumination and love within them, rather. She hoped that Princess Yarrah, most of all, could be washed clean of her deed and given a new perspective on what, so far, had been her very short life.   
  
Ryven felt fingers close over her own and turned to smile at the other elf she'd gained as a friend now and knew, more than anything, that she would have a loyal companion who would be there for her like a sister for as long as they both drew breath. As her wolf-friend, Snowblind, ambled up and nuzzled her other hand, then surprised her by taking Rowyn's free hand in his mouth and gently tugging it.   
  
Ryven was never so happy to see Snowblind and was so glad that Dende had arranged for him to be atop the lookout as well, waiting, to welcome them all home. The sight of her wolf-bond was good for her weary heart and soul.   
  
"He wants you to scratch his ears," Ryven said, not able to suppress a giggle, "It's his way of saying your accepted by him."   
  
"I'm honored," Rowyn whispered, smiling, tears making her eyes sparkle, as she scratched the white wolf's large ears, "Snowblind."   
  
At the same time, she sent to the wolf, as did Ryven, her own fingers curled into the thick fur along his ruff; ** Friends.**   
  
** Nice friends ** The wolf sent, not words really, but a general all-around feeling of comradeship,   
** Loyal Ryven...loyal Rowyn...**   
  
Ryven bent down and rubbed her head against his own, agreeing. Rowyn smiled and watched, not quite that comfortable with the powerful creature that could snap her neck in two like an old twig as easy as he could look at her, as Ryven played with the wolf, reaffirming thier bond at the same time.   
  
Niether elf or wolf caught the ficker of envy which flashed across Princess Yarrah's face before she turned her eyes away from them. Tel noticed and didn't say anything, she didn't even aknowlege what she had seen with a certain look. She kept her face blank, waiting for what was to come next.   



	23. A Much Needed Healing

Dende looked looked up from his reverie, startled out it by Piccolo's heavy hand on his shoulder. Dende wasn't a fool and one look at the powerful namekian warrior told him exactly what was on his mind. Especially when he glanced over his shoulder at the little elf he'd come to know and love as his own daughter.   
  
"Dende?" He asked, knowing that this was what Ryven wanted, she had told him as much on the way home inbetween bouts of much-needed sleep, "Do you think you can find it in yourself to try and heal Tel and Yarrah?"   
  
"I can possibly heal Tel," Dende said, chewing his lip in thought, as he watched the young woman, short hair a tad bit mussed, standing to one side, looking uncomfortable around all these people she didn't know. He also noticed how the little white-haired princess, Yarrah, had moved closer to her as if they were drawn to one another, two beings from the same place who had suddenly found themselves thrown into a sea of unknown, It was understandable they would cling to each other, each being the only thing familiar to the other, Dende though, as he answered Piccolo's query, "But I don't know about the little Princess, I've...felt...something dark inside her. She's taken a life. I don't know if anything can heal that, Piccolo."   
  
"Can't you at least put forth the effort?" Piccolo asked, "I don't mean to sound like I don't know you all ready have a busy work load, but it would mean so much to..."   
  
"Ryven and Rowyn?" Dende asked, sighing, he knew that attempting to heal a person who was tainted, such as Vegeta, would take a lot of him, but he had healed Vegeta, he remembered, and if he could heal someone as dark-hearted as Vegeta was back then, he could probably get away with fixing whatever's wrong with Tel and Yarrah. He smiled, cofidence swiftly back in place as he nodded at Piccolo, giving him the thumb's up sign that showed he had agreed and was willing to try it.   
  
Ryven looked up from Snowblind's coat and saw Piccolo talking with Dende. She had spent the last few moments emerged within his wolfish-thoughts and the thickness of his fur, filling herself with the long-missed scent of him while Rowyn stood off to the side, recognizing her friend's need for this private greeting with her bond-beast. She touched her locket absently, feeling closer to her mother than she had for a long time, now that her locket was with her once more.   
  
Her keen elfin ears had picked up most of what was said between the two nameks, but not all of it and she knew they had spoken telepathically one-to-one for part of the conversation. Rowyn difted closer and sent, unexpectedly, though by now Ryven was getting used to the sound of Rowyn's soft voice in her head and her presence near her, though she would have to let her know sooner or later than once in while she just wanted to be left alone to think or whatever, but she knew that now was not the time to worrying about such things. Still, she couldn't help but worry that Rowyn wouldn't leave her alone once in awhile in the future...   
  
** Do you think he can really do it? ** Rowyn's voice interrupted Ryven's train of thought and she felt her cheeks flush red, it wasn't that she was sick of the other elf, not really, it was just...after all that had happened, she felt that she needed some time alone, to think things through and to rest for a while. ** Heal them, I mean? **   
  
Well, Ryven found herself thinking, Maybe after everything is back to normal, I'll ask Papa if he could take me on a little vacation so I can get my wits together again. She thought, I hate the thought to having to leave Rowyn, but I know how much she's grown since we were kidnapped, I know how much stronger she is now, how strong of spirit she's always been but was just afraid to show any of that strength. I'm sure she'll be all right here with everyone to help take care of her, help her and guide her along.   
  
** I don't know, ** Ryven aswered, while carefully keeping her private thoughts away from the forefront of her mind, ** He was able to heal Vegeta and, of course, you.**   
  
** I know he's healed physically wounds before,** Rowyn sent, sitting down on the grass that wrapped about Mr. Popo's prized flower and plant garden, tucking her legs in under her. Ryven and Snowblind did the same, finding seats upon the grass close by Rowyn, ** But does he know how much more of a challege it is to heal emotionally damage?**   
  
** I don't know, ** Ryven shook her head, she'd taken her headband off and stuffed it into her belt pouch, since her head felt sticky and dirty with sweat and promised herself that the first body of water she came to she was diving in and that was that! ** But we're about to find out, look! **  
  
Both elven females looked up, each of them realizing that the air around them was growing more and more heavy, charged would be a much better word, as they saw Dende getting himself ready for the double healing. Tel and the Princess were looking over at Dende and Piccolo with worried expressions, unsure of what was happening.   
  
Both elves hoped beyond hope that he could do it, that it woudn't be too much of a strain for him, but Ryven had more confidance in the little Earth's Gaudian than did Rowyn, who really hadn't gotten to know him very well, just that one time he healed her wounds and kept her from dying, and nodded at Rowyn to let her know she thought it would be okay.   
  
Dende approached Princess Yarrah first and her eyes became as wide around as Krillin's destructo disks. When he held out his hand to her, smiling in, what he hoped, was a friendly and passage manner, though he was aware of how nervous his fangs tended to make people who did not know of his race. They thought he was some kind of green vampire with antannae or something.   
  
He nearly laughed at the memory of one particalar summer he'd gone with Mr. Popo to a tropical island that was having some problems and the primitive people had thought he was some kind of vampire god come to claim everyone's enteral souls or some such rubbish. His thoughts rushed back to the present at the look of pure horror in Yarrah's eyes.   
  
He was taller than her her, but not by much. By human standards, or, in her case, humanoid at least, she looked like a very small child, but her eyes looked older, much much older, as if she had seen things no child should even have seen or been forced to grown up much too fast. Dende felt sorry for her and reached out, trying to help her.   
  
"Get away from me!" She cried, backing up, little by little and Dende noticed, with fear, that with each step she was coming closer and closer to the edge. If she stepped off and fell, did she know how to fly? He wondered and suddenly knew the answer. It would be up to one of us to keep her from killing herself.   
  
He glanced over at the others and saw Goku deep in conversation with Chi Chi, Bulma and Goten while Vegeta was sulking off a ways with his young son; Trunks, trying his hardest to impress him with certain moves and power blasts he'd been working hard on. Vegeta looked at his fingernails, then yawned, barily realizing poor Trunks was still around.   
  
Dende secretly hoped the boy would give up on trying to gain his father's attention and work on being a great son to one who all ready thought he was the best thing since sliced bread; his mother, Bulma, who was watching him out the corner of her blue eyes, a tiny smile filled his a mother's pride across her face.   
  
"Please," Dende said to Yarrah, as the wind ruffled his robes about him and sent a chin down his spine, "Stop. Your going to step right off the..."   
  
"Stay away!" Yarrah cried, gaining everyone's attention that time, "I heard what you said about doing some weird magic thing to me and so-called 'healing' me of I did wrong!"   
  
"Yes! Don't you want that, Y-" He paused, understanding this one's need to addressed formally, if only to calm her down some, "Your Highness. Don't you want to be free from the darkness that surrounds you, free from what you..."   
  
"Shut up!" She cried, eyes glaring, walking backwards blindly, "You don't know what your talking about! Leave me alone! Just leave me alone!"   
  
Dende watched as he blood ran cold in his veins as the little girl stepped right off the ledge and disapeared within the cloudy mass that always seemed to surround The Lookout. Tel ran to the edge and looked down, trying to see past the thick, fluffy-white clouds. "Princess!" She whispered, fear in her voice, her hand reaching out and touching empty air.   
  
Before he could dive off and go after her, Piccolo jumped in front of him and flew downward, after the distraught child, as Tel unexpectedly grabbed him from behind and pulled him around to face her. "Just what were you doing to her?!" She cried, livid, she pointed to the edge, "That's my people's last chance, you know! You better pray that her wings are sprouted!"   
  
"W-what?" Dende cried, not understanding her at all, "What are you talking about? I was only trying to help her! She was scared...or something, and fell backwards, I tried to warn her!"   
  
"Liar!" Tel cried, "I saw you! I saw both you and that large green one with your heads together talking all hush-hush a few minutes ago. I know you were talking about getting rid of us! I know you pushed The Princess off the edge! I saw you! I saw you!"   
  
"No!" Dende cried and Mr. Popo ran over to Dende, "I would never do something like that! You must believe me! You misunderstood what happened!"   
  
"Yes!" Mr. Popo said in his deep voice, "Dende would not do such a horrible thing, Miss Tel. You must calm down and realize this. Dende here only wished to heal your little princess so that she would not have bad dreams anymore. He can do the same for you, Mr. Popo thinks so, yes?"  
  
Tel was looking from him to Dende, unsure of what to do, where to go. She began aware of the rest of the group, those who had stayed behind, moving around her as if to prevent her escape, or, which was probably more the case, to prevent her from becoming violent and harming anyone. But, I don't want to harm anyone, Tel thought, not really, I just want to make sure my princess is all right so I can figure out how to get her back home to her people where she belongs!   
  
Suddenly, someone very strong had grabbed her arms from behind, holding her in place against them, she cried out and struggled but had never felt anyone as strong, she felt like she was being held inside a massive vice of some kind, unable to move to get free for the live herself. Then she recognized Vegeta's voice and knew who held her in place. "Hurry up, Dende!" He growled, "Get to work before I decide it'd probably be better to just kill her!"   
  
"Let me go!" Tel cried, terrified that they wanted to harm her. She could not understand, on the entire way here, why they were being so kind to her if they didn't want something in return. In her experience, nothing was gained for free and everything had a price, she may have slipped past paying it before, but she knew, deep in her heart of hearts, that one day she would have to pay what she owed for such treatment.   
  
She had suspected, all the way here, that they were bringing her and The Princess here for a reason, but she just couldn't figure out what because everyone would clam up whenever she entered a room on The Blue Beauty and found them talking about something.   
  
As Dende reached out to touch her forehead, she felt the strange heat emanating from his hand and, even more odd, how it seemed to calm her down and soothe her thoughts. She sighed and slumped down against Vegeta, who had fallen to his knees in order to hold her at a more comfortable angle and allow Dende better access. Dende paused one moment before placing his other hand lightly upon Tel's heart, feeling it beating fast, much too fast and focusing on bringing her blood pressure down and sending her tempering, relaxing vibrations before he started on the actual healing. He wondered, before he began, it it was right, what he was doing, healing another being without their permission, against their will, actually!   
  
Vegeta caught Dende's concerned look and said; "Sometimes an animal who's hurt will snap at the one who tries to give it medicine and bandage it up, but whatever was done had to be done for the sake of the injured animal who didn't know any better. She's just like a hurt animal, Dende, who's snapping at those who try to help her. It's for her own good."   
  
Dende nodded, understanding and also thinking that was possibly why Yarrah acted the way she did when he approached her. He closed his eyes and felt himself falling into darkness filled with anger, greif, deceit and fear, so much fear. Ignoring Tel's soft cries, he began the healing, believing that what he was doing was in her best interest and, when he was done and she was whole once more, she would possibly even thank him.   
  
***   
  
Piccolo was just thinking what a pain his tail this so-called little Princess was becoming when he came closer gaped in shock at the sight of her, and for once neither Nail nor Kami had anything to say, either.   
  
The princess wasn't falling. She wasn't even hysterical anymore. She was hovering in place but not, Piccolo could see and feel, by any use of ki manipulation. The back of her dress had been ripped and from those tears, out her small back had suddenly sprouted two delicate-looking dragonfall-type wings. They were beating so fast at the moment that he couldn't tell where one ended and the other began.   
  
"W-wings?!" He cried, "You didn't have wings before...?"   
  
"Oh!" She cried, as if she just realized he was there, "Only the females of my race have wings. We keep them hidden, they dissolve into our skin when we aren't using them."   
  
"Listen? We have to get back up there," Piccolo said, gesturing towards the Lookout, he noticed Goku racing towards them as well, his dark eyes widening at the sight of Yarrah and her, until now, little secret, "The Gaurdian of the Earth doesn't mean to scare you, he only wants to make you right again, don't you understand?"   
  
"I understand that if he heals me or even tries," She said, her voice stiff, too old of a child's voice, really, "That I may lose the memories the my mother because whenever I think of her now, I remember what I did, and I am sorry, but if I look past that I can remember some other times, when it was just me and her, and...and...it wasn't so bad being the heir to the throne, then."   
  
Tears were falling from her eyes, unbidden and unchecked, Piccolo and Goku just watched, listening and waiting, "I can't allow anyone to mess around inside my head and maybe make me forget the good times I had with my mother, even if I do have to remember all the bad and...and...the way she died...."   
  
With that, Princess Yarrah turned about in midair and started to fly away, before she did, she turned around and said; "Please, leave me alone for awhile. I...I need to think about things..."   
  
Piccolo started to go after her, but Goku reached out and grabbed his cloak's end, stopping him. Goku shook his head at Piccolo's angry questioning look. "She'll be okay, Piccolo," Goku said, "I have a feeling about that one. She reminds me, in alot of ways, of both Vegeta and Trunks. Funny, huh?"   
  
"Hmmm." Piccolo responded, deciding to fly back up and let everyone know what was going on before they all paniced and decided to take a flying leap off the edge of The Lookout themselves. Goku, after glancing in the direction Yarrah had gone, wondered if it really had been the wisest thing he'd even done to let her leave like that. She was still a child after all, and now she was a child in a strange land filled with strange people.   
  
"Aww, baka!" He sighed, recognizing his error, "We have to go after her, Piccolo."   
  
Piccolo turned around and grinned ferally at Goku, "Happy to see you've come to your senses."   
  
"I just remembered she's a little kid and this a strange place, even for those who've live here all thier lives!"   
  
As he flew next to Goku, Piccolo sent a quick telepathic explaination to Ryven and Rowyn and the rest of them still waiting for him and Goku to come back with the upset little princess; ** Yarrah's sprouted wings, she's flown off somewhere. We were going to just let her go, but after thinking for half a second, Goku's decided that letting a little girl fly around alone in an unfamilar place isn't exactly the smartest thing one can do, so we are going to find her and bring her back.**   
  
"Aargh!" Bulma cried, pulling at her hair, "Will this nightmare ever end?! I was looking foreward to working on my bike this afternoon!!"   
  
"Don't worry," Dende said, "She's not far, I can feel her ki signature, it's very strong and closeby."   
  
"Well, I sure hope so!" Bulma said, still in a huff, "Because this little adventure is getting to be a tad bit too old for it's own good!"   
  
Chi Chi nodded her agreement before sighing.   
  
"Hey!" Rowyn cried, marching up to the two women, "That's a Little girl out there! She could be either one of your's children?! Did you ever stop to consider that?! I didn't think so!" While both woman gasped at her in shock, Rowyn turned about on her heel and walked purposefully back to where Ryven and Snowblind were standing, watching everything.   
  
When she had seen Piccolo fly off over the edge, Ryven's stomach plummeted and she had the fight the urge to jump and and follow. But she knew that he didn't need her help for this and didn't want to cause him to have to worry about herself as well as Yarrah. She had enough love and faith in him to know and believe that he would be back soon, followed by Goku and, if all went well, the annoying little princess who was seriously starting to get on her nerves again.   
  
"Dende looks tired." Rowyn commented as they watched the healing taking place a few feet away. The young Guardian had been submerged in a deep healing trance for the better part of twenty or so minutes. She and Ryven stepped around closer to Vegeta, Tel and Dende, curious in spite of themselves.   
  
Watching a namek healer work was always an awe-inspiring sight. Ryven noticed that Rowyn's observation was correct, Dende was getting tired! She saw his annatane tremble as sweat dripped from his forehead in concentration, his hands shook slightly as power rushed from them into Tel's body, moving past the outer wounds and finding and mending those that never showed on the outside.   
  
Though he was begining to fell weak, he cursed himslf and struggled to stay focused, he wasn't about to give up now. Now when he didn't really know what would happen to someone who was suddenly forced away from a half-finished healing. He had no idea if she would be lost in the void of her own mind and terror-filled nightmares forever or if she would just wake up and go completely insane over time.   
  
He wasn't about to find out! But even as the words came to him, he felt his body growing sluggish, too weary to continue and felt a great deal of shame filling his heart, until, that is, he felt someone's hands upon his back, small yet determinded, two pairs of hands in fact and felt a rush of enegry flooding over his skin and though his muscles and bones, breathing like a blast of fresh air over his face and scenses, giving him enough strengh to go on and finish the job.   
  
Rowyn and Ryven both hit the ground, what they had just attempted and, luckily, succeeded at, had taken the stuffing out of them something bad! Snowblind was licking Ryven's face and Rowyn couldn't move, so she was merely laying down, eyes closes, trying to regain some of her strength back. Ryven didn't even have enough of own left to shove the wolf's hot tongue from her cheek.   
  
Chi Chi and Bulma understood that they were needed and, like most Mother Hens, rushed in to take control of what needed handling.   
  
"Come on," Bulma said to Chi Chi as she carefully picked up Rowyn, "We can put them in the bed Trunks and Goten always sleep in when they visit."   
  
Chi Chi nodded and lifted Ryven, knowing well to hold her at an angle so as not to touch her sword, which was in it's place in it's sheath upon the elf's back, "They need more sleep as it is anyway."   
  
Ryven thought about trying to get free, it was horribly embarracing having Chi Chi-Harpy carry her in to bed like this! But she was just too exhausted to move. One eye twitch Rowyn's way told her the other elf felt pretty much the same way. Suddenly sleep didn't sound too bad. She just hoped they had been able to help Dende, if not, then, they had just wasted a ton of thier own ki for nothing.   
  
She didn't want to even consider that thier effort had been wasted and fell alseep before her head even hit the pillow, her last thought was; Hope Papa gets back soon...  
  
***  
  
"Chi Chi?" Bulma drew the other woman into the kitchen with her, "After all this is over, you know, I was thinking, we all missed Ryven's birthday, you know..."   
  
"I was thinking about that the entire way home, actually, Bulma," Chi Chi answered, "I think we should do something extra special for her, after all she's been through, you know? Do you have any ideas, Bulma?"   
  
"How about a surprise party?" Bulma suggested, "You know how I love arranging those things! And you can make the cake, Chi Chi, well, with our husands and sons, probably several cakes would have to do, and all the food, and I can concentrate on the decorations and stuff!"   
  
Chi Chi nodded, thinking of that poor little child fast asleep in the bedroom several rooms down the hall, as well as the other one she'd grown so found of in the short time she's known her. She wanted to do something for them to let them know she loved and was grateful for both of them being brought into her life. But, Bulma was right, she thought, they had to concentrate on Ryven, since it was her birthday they forgot!   
  
"We'll get started as soon as possible!" Bulma said, and walked off, leaving Chi Chi to stare after her in amusement.   
  
That was, until, the screaming started.   



	24. Swarm

"W-what in the blazes...?!" Goku stopped in mid-flight and spun around at the sound of Chi Chi's high-pitched scream, "Chi Chi!"   
  
"Wait!" Piccolo grabbed his arm, stopping him from flying back to the others atop the lookout, "Do you hear that?"   
  
Piccolo's sharp namekian hearing could pick up sounds farther away than normal humans and saiyans, but even as he listened the sound was growing louder. A distant buzzing noise. Goku's eyes widened as he heard it too. He let go of Goku's arm and pointed into the distance where a black mass, much like an airborn cattle stampede, moved steadily closer.   
  
"What are they?" Goku asked and clenched his fists reflectively at his sides, a glimmer of comprehension suddenly flashing across his face, "They're headed towards the lookout! That's why Chi Chi screamed! She must have seen them!"   
  
"Maybe a scout," Piccolo agreed, eyes narrowed, "Goku, you need to go after Yarrah..."  
  
"But...!" Goku stammered, inching towards the lookout, "My-my family...!"   
  
"I'll take care of them!" Piccolo yelled, jerking the saiyan backwards in the air roughly, there wasn't time for any coddling, "Just go!"   
  
Ryven! He thought as he speed off, Let nothing happen to her...  
  
Suddenly, they were all around him! They moved so fast! He barely caught a flicker before another was at him, clawing and biting, scratching and slapping with thier wings, for he caught small glimses of blade-sharp wings beating feircing. The wings were what was making the humming noise he had heard, millions of them beating together.   
  
Every time they managed to slash him he felt strangely weaker. He didn't understand it.   
  
A face flashed before his as he fought them off, strugging to move as they moved, to anticipate were the next attack would be, hissing white-pale features in a mock-human mask, yellowed fangs, black holes for eyes, no noise and no hair. What he saw in the eyes he could only discribe as an undeniably horrific hunger.   
  
"Aaaaigh!" He cried, powering up, ki energy cousing through every fiber of his being, he brought his fists downward swiftly and launched a furious blast at the nearest bunch; knocking them backwards and out of sight. He saw them break off from one another and fall, lifeless, towards the earth far below. But more were coming at him from the other directions...   
  
Gathering more energy, from the earth around him, Piccolo sent several smaller blasts in every direction, hitting most by instinct, almostly blindly, he could feel thier ki but it was sporadic, flickering in and out as they moved, which seemed insane, so he aimed for where he thought they might be rather than where he could feel they were.   
  
He felt extremely tired, they had gotten in several attacks and each one had reeled him.   
  
When there were only about three dozen left, they had been heading towards the lookout but he had intercepted them, Piccolo noticed that they had begun to fall back, break up and fly away.   
His natural ability to heal swiftly kicked in and countered much of his odd fatigue as it had been doing steadily during the short battle.   
  
He saw them regroup farther off and flicker in and out of sight until they had suddenly just vanished. He rubbed his eyes, blood falling into his mouth from the many cuts their claws had make across his face, hoping he wasn't just seeing things.   
  
Exhausted, he flew back to the lookout, scanned the area for his daughter and felt a sudden surge of panic when he failed to see her or her friend; Rowyn. Then he felt her ki and calmed. She was safe. She was safe. He reached out mentally and felt where she and Rowyn were hiding together, in the room that Trunks and Goten use to sleep in.   
  
Chi Chi was in hystrics. Vegeta was trying in vain to calm her down. To no avail.   
  
"Oh Kami!" Chi Chi cried, sobbing, the skin of her right arm had been torn, ugly gashes across the flesh that looked like they stung, "How horrible! I never saw anything so aweful in my life! Look at what they did to my arm! If it hadn't been for Trunks and Goten we'd all be dead! Dead you hear me!"   
  
Chi Chi had grabbed ahold of the front of Vegeta's gi and was vigorously shaking him back and forth, screaming in his face. "What are they, Vegeta!?"   
  
"I...don't...k-k-know...!" He cried, head whipping back and forth as she continued to shake him, "W-woman...c-c-calm...down!"   
  
"Oh my..." Tel whispered, opening her eyes from where she lay on the ground, having just been healed by Dende who stood over her with a horrified expression upon his face, "Slythwasps..."   
  
"What?" Trunks asked, Goten's eyebrows raised an inch, "What are you talking about?"   
  
Chi Chi was finally shoved away by Vegeta, who received a nasty look from Bulma.   
  
"That's what we always called them..." Tel sat up, feeling groggy, as if she'd just awoken from a drug-induced sleep, she stifled a yawn but couldn't stifle the fear darkening her heart, "I thought...I thought they were all...gone...I never expected..."   
  
"How did they get here?" Bulma asked, speaking up, "What do they want? Uh, other than the obvious, of course."   
  
"Of course." Tel nodded in her direction, "They use a means of inter-diminsional teleportation to travel, they can all do it by instinct alone, from what we know about the species each one is born with the ability."   
  
Tel realized they were listening closely to every word she uttered, "As for what they came for," She breathed, "Slythwasps feed on energy...what you probably call..."   
  
"Ki..." Piccolo finished, understanding and growing extremely angry in the process, "They weren't fighting me, they were feeding off me!"   
  
"Probably," Tel said, "They travel from one planet, one dimension, to another...sapping everything of it's essence until..."   
  
"No!" Ryven had suddenly appeared in the doorway, holding onto the jam, "It won't happen here, Tel! Your wrong! We can fight them off and..."   
  
Tel looked away, down at her hands. She'd seen planets, once beatiful worlds teeming with life, after a horde of slythwasps had traveled through, feeding off everything in sight, leaving the world cold and barren. No one really knew how to fight them...  
  
"I managed to kill several," Piccolo was saying to the others, "Maybe we can defeat them..."  
  
"It doesn't matter," Tel shook her head, "For every one you kill a thousand rise up to take it's place. No one knows for sure just how slythwasps procreate, but we only know they do it fast and in great quanities at a time."   
  
"So what, exactly, are you suggesting, woman?" Vegeta snarled at her, "Go belly-up holding signs saying: 'Come and get it, Free ki for all!' ?!"   
  
"No!" Tel snapped, "That's not what I'm saying at all, you inbecile!"   
  
Vegeta, mightly Saiyan prince looked taken aback. But Tel went on, not allowing him to cut her off;   
  
"I'm just telling you all this so you have a better idea of what's in store if they have decided that your little planet would make a good might-flight snack!" She looked around at the faces, determined and angry, around her, "I have a strong feeling that you people have alot of guts and strength, possibly more guts and strength than the sythwasps have yet incountered."   
  
"So, what, exactly, are you trying to tell us?" Piccolo asked.   
  
"I'm just saying; Be careful." She said, feeling light-headed, "And...good luck..."   
  
"Your still not really ready to up and about, Tel," Dende said to her, "Let me help you inside...Ryven...you should go back to sleep too...you look exhausted."   
  
"I'm not tired." Ryven lied, but the young namek could see the dark circles under her eyes, "I need to stay awake...Papa needs me...to...help fight..."   
  
Dende looked back at Piccolo, who looked pointedly in Ryven's direction and turned back to the young elf, "Umm, don't you think it would be a better idea to rest before a battle?"   
  
Ryven appeared to think this over, clearly struggling over where she thought she should be, finally, she found herself swaying and yawning at the same time and had to admit that she would more of a hinderence than a help if she tried to do any type of battle in her current state. She stumbled, half-awake, back to the room she was sharing with Rowyn and collaped on the opposite side of the bed that her friend was asleep in.   
  
"You don't seem to be worried about your princess any more," Dende said as he led Tel to another room where she could rest, "I'm sorry! When I healed you, I..."   
  
"I know, it's okay," She sighed, "You saw what was in my head. You couldn't help it. It's no big deal."   
  
"Well..."   
  
"She was my future..." Tel whispered, "My last hope...the last hope of my people...now..."  
  
"She might not be..."   
  
"Can you feel her?" Tel asked, for she had learned how they could sense one another, "Can you feel her and tell me that's alive?"   
  
Dende looked away. But said nothing. It was almost as good as an affirmation.   
  
"My only purpose was to take her back, somehow, any way I could, to our world," She said, "I have no reason to be here now. After I rest I will be leaving."   
  
  
"Y-your not even going to stay to help us fight off these, these..."   
  
"Slythwasps." She said, "And no. That's your problem. Not mine. Deal with it."   
  
"B-but...!"   
  
Tel paused at the open door, "We all have our problems," She said before closing the door in Dende's face, "Deal with it."  



	25. Possession

Ryven's head tossed back and forth in restless sleep, her headband and sword and sheath on the floor next to her side of the bed, her mouth uttering wordless cries of fear. Beside her, Rowyn stirred, awoken by the other elf's flailing about, and slowly sat up. She reached a hand towards Ryven's shoulder, meaning to wake her up and stop her nightmares, when a sudden feeling washed over her.   
  
"Oh!" She cried out, dark brown eyes wide in horror, "It can't be! Not here!"   
  
She felt a blackness pass over her heart and everything seemed much darker than it actually was, like clouds over the sunlight. She could hear, in her mind, the sound of humming wings, beating together in the air, the clicking of sharp teeth and claws, but most horrid of all, she could feel the emotions. The emotions were primal, dark, a need so utter it made everything else trivial and filled her senses until she could hear or see nothing else.   
  
"Noooo!" The scream came slowly from her lungs, built up and when she could hold it back no longer, let it free. The bedsheets were clutched tightly in her fists as she continued to scream, eyes wide and blind, until Ryven slammed straight up in bed, echoing her yell upon her own lips.   
  
"Rowyn!" Ryven cried, grabbing the other girl by the shoulders and jerking her around to face her, shaking her roughly, "Rowyn! Stop! Stop! It's alright!"   
  
For a moment, Ryven thought that perhaps some of her own nightmare had leaked from her mind into Rowyn's and frightened the younger elf, but Rowyn whispered something to her that made her leave that notion behind; "The slythwasps are feeding..."   
  
"Slythwasps." Ryven said, letting go of Rowyn, it had been a few hours since she'd collapsed and she flet a litte better. Still dirty, but better. She jumped down from the bed and took up her sword and sheath, fixing it in place across her back like an old friend, "Papa fought some of them...I wanted to help..."   
  
"The feeding has begun." Rowyn whispered, her voice trembling, "There will be no survivors...the land will be barren...barren..."   
  
"Stop it!" Ryven cried, turning towards where Rowyn still sat upon the bed, seeming in a trance-like state, "Rowyn! Wake up! Right now!"   
  
Ryven's mouth opened in terror as as her heart leapt into her throat. Rowyn had turned to face her. Her eyes were hollow, blank, but her mouth was twisted in a kind of mock grin. She spoke in a cold voice that made the sparse hairs stand up along Ryven's arms; "We have come to fed. We have come to fed. We have come to fed."   
  
Over and over Rowyn chanted, making Ryven back away in disgust and fear. Instictively she reached behind her, felt the hilt of her sword and then stayed her hand. What was she doing?! This was Rowyn! Sweet little Rowyn who liked to follow her around! She thought, bringing her hand back down to her side. Something is wrong with her! She thought frantically, I have to help! I have to get Papa!   
  
"You can't run!" Came Rowyn's strangly altered voice at her back as she ran out of the room and down the stairs, "You can't hide!"   
  
"Papa!" Ryven cried, running passed the others and tugging on Piccolo's gi, "It's Rowyn! She's awake and talking all funny...she's talking about those slythwasp things! Come on!"   
  
Ryven's voice was frantic as she pulled at Piccolo's clothing. The powerful namek followed his foster daughter up the stairs and into the bedroom, followed in turn by the rest of the gang. He stopped short when he saw Rowyn's face and held out a hand to stop Chi Chi from rushing over to the girl.   
  
** Look at her! ** Nail's voice piped up inside his head.   
  
** She looks...altered...like she's in a coma or somthing...** Kami agreed   
  
"No, Chi Chi!" Piccolo said to her, pushing her back gently, "Don't touch her! Something's inside her. Inside her mind."   
  
Piccolo appoached the little elf, who was sitting up with the sheets still clenched in her fists, breathing heavy as if she'd just run a three mile trek, and knelt down to look at her face. Rowyn was humming and rocking back and forth. Every few seconds she would launch into a series of cursing and laughing. Piccolo stared at her, into her blank eyes and spoke; "Rowyn? What....?"   
  
She whipped her head around so fast he could hear the bones of her spine cracking, "Oh. It's you. We liked you. You tasted good."   
  
Piccolo gasped and stood up, realizing what was happening, he turned to the others, who were waiting in silent fear. "She's linked to them!" He cried, "She's linked to the slythwasps!"   
  
Chi Chi's hand flew to her mouth as she stumbled backwards into Bulma, who had to struggle to keep her upright.   
  
"H-how...?" Trunks started but was interrupted by a shreik from behind them as someone slammed into the room, dragging a smaller something behind.   
  
"Let me go right now you stupid oaf!" The all recognized the high-pitched tone of the young princess and saw Goku holding her up by the scruff of her neck, grinning in truimph. "Put me down right now! Right now, you hear me!"   
  
"Well, I found her!" Goku gasped, "But it wasn't easy! She knows how to hide her ki...though when I asked her how she could do that she looked at me like I was crazy and started screaming and running...and...what's everyone doing in here...?" Goku broke off at everyone's silent glare and followed there eyes to Rowyn on the bed.   
  
"Rowyn?" He asked, dropping Yarrah who landed with a thud on the floor at Vegeta's feet. Vegeta pulled his foot away from her as if touching something soiled. Yarrah stuck out her tongue at him and got to her feet. She crossed her little hands in front of herself and turned her nose into the air like a good spoiled brat.   
  
"Rowyn?" Goku stepped up next to Piccolo and asked, "What's wrong with her?"   
  
"The slythwasps have taken her over." Piccolo answered.   
  
"Why?" Goku asked the question they were all wondering.   
  
"Because it's there way," A new voice said. Tel was standing in the doorway on the other side of Vegeta. She ignored his dismissive glance and went on, speaking with her hands as well as her voice, "Slythwasps always choose someone to be there spokesperson. They like to taunt and tease as much as they like to fed. I suggest you tie her up."   
  
"What?" Goten cried, "But she's just a little thing! Look at her! Why do we have to..."  
  
"Because slythwasp possesion can make a person extremely violent. As well as extrememly strong." Tel interrupted quickly, "But, go ahead, leave her free. See if I care."   
  
With that, Tel spun around and left. She wanted to leave. Needed to leave, but she'd seen the princess and felt her heart stop and then start in gratitude. She would stay a bit longer. She felt that there was a debt that needed paid, to the one who found and brought her princess back. Beides, she could not leave without her, Tel knew, as she made her way back downstairs. She'd given them her warning, if they didn't have enough sense to heed it then that wasn't any concern of her's.   
  
Just as long as the princess was kept safe.   
  



	26. Tricks And Taunts

"There's nothing to be done now," Dende spoke up with authority, addressing the group, "Go home, all of you, I'll keep Rowyn here and watch over her. Perhaps...perhaps I can bring her out of it..."   
  
Slowly, they drifted from the room, knowing that Dende's word was law here, and prepared to have Goku teleport them all to the ground. Ryven felt torn, she wanted to leave with Piccolo and others but she didn't want to go without Rowyn. At first, when she'd met her, she'd found the girl to be slightly amusing, then annoying. Now, she felt more than a tinge of protectiveness over her. Such as one might feel towards a very small sister.   
  
Rowyn thrashed back and forth on the bed, crying out and clawing at the air. "Foooood..." She growled in a voice that wasn't her own, "Can smell it...taaaaaste it...sooooon....soooo much to taaaake...."   
  
Panting, Rowyn fell back and nearly slammed her head against the headboard. Piccolo turned to Ryven, who just stared, wide-eyed, as Rowyn's face continued to contort in pain. "Go with them, Ryven."   
  
"But, Papa...I..."   
  
"Now!" Piccolo could feel Rowyn's strength growing, like a ball of yarn being wrapped with more and more yarn as it grew and grew.   
  
Starting a bit, but recognizing the tone, Ryven knew that there were be no quarreling. She slipped past him and felt Snowblind's nose at her side.   
  
"Come on," She said absently to the wolf, "We have to go."  
  
Piccolo turned back to the small elf child still breathing hard on the bed. He could hear the sounds of Goku talking to the others, telling them how to link up so that he could mass-teleport them all safely to the ground. Yarrah started to broke an argument over being told what to do, but there was a loud slapping sound and some whimpering and he knew that Vegeta had finally had enough.   
  
"I don't understand what's happened to you, little one," Piccolo sighed, "I'm sorry I have to do this."   
  
  
Forming bonds of durable leather from the air, the namek approached the girl, who was watching him with wary eyes. Eyes that did not belong to her. He reached for her wrist, but she was faster. She jerked away and rolled over to the other side of the bed, tucking her feet under her as she crouched low on her haunches. Growling, Piccolo blinked out of sight and reapeared behind her. Before she could do anything he tackled her about the waist and forced her back down.   
  
"Let go of me!" She cried, and Piccolo realized with a start that he was hearing Rowyn's own voice! "What are you doing?!"   
  
"Rowyn?" Piccolo asked, uncertain, ropes still held in one hand above her head, "Are you...?"  
  
"I...I'm sorry!" Rowyn cried, tears in her eyes, "Please don't tie me up, Piccolo-san! Please! I promise to be good! Please!"   
  
She sniffled and Piccolo hesitated a moment longer. It was all the time she needed. Reacting swiftly, the small girl pulled her knees up fast and kicked out with both feet, catching him in the chest and sending him flying into the wall opposite the bed. She stood up on the bed, floating a little ways above it and seemed to crackle and burn with an inner power. A power that Piccolo knew she normally did not possess.   
  
"We are not amused by your attempts to harness us," She spoke in a multitude of voices, her hands at her sides, "We will not stay longer amid this ill treatment."   
  
His first instinct was to lash out violently, but he knew that no matter how far she may be from herself, Rowyn still needed her outer shell, her body, to be kept fairly in tact. That doesn't mean I can't knock her out, he thought grimly as he got to his feet. But, if I have to choice her over the rest of the world...  
  
He felt Kami wince inside his head and choice to ignore it. Moving with the speed of thought, Piccolo was in front of her, floating to match her height and aimed a powerful punch to the side of her head, hoping to knock her off balance long enough to at least get her hands secure. Rowyn fell from her elevated level and Piccolo jumped on top of her, grabbing her wrists and holding them together with one strong green hand.   
  
Her eyes clouded with pain, blood already drying on her lip, Rowyn glared up at him. Then her eyes welled up with tears and she began to whimper. Piccolo ignored her and continued to tie her up, fasting her bonds securely, yet giving her just enough room to be fairly comfortable, to the bed's posts.   
  
"Why are you doing this to me, Piccolo-san?" She asked in a little girl's voice, "Wasn't I a good girl? I tried to be a good girl..."   
  
"I'm not falling for your tricks, Slythwasp!" Piccolo growled, standing back and folding his arms over his chest now that she was tied in place, "You are not Rowyn!"   
  
"We are please with your intellegence." Rowyn said, her voice once more becoming many, "We have felt your ki, Namek, have tasted tiny portions of it." He watched as Rowyn licked the blood from her mouth, "We antisipate draining you."   
  
"You may anticipate all you want." Piccolo said, not moving, "Tell your friends that they better be prepared to fight if they want me!"   
  
A low chuckle erupted from Rowyn's throat. "A fight? Of what use would that be? We shall sup from you as you stand!"   
  
  
"Piccolo?" Dende appeared in the doorway, gasping at the look he saw in Rowyn's eyes, "Is everything...?"   
  
"Oooh!" Rowyn gasped, delight in her tone, "We grow hungry....another namek...powerful...you will taste good too, little green one!"   
  
Piccolo's fists balled at his sides, his antannae quivering beneath his turban, but Dende laid a hand on his arm. "Let's go. She...I mean the slythwaspes...are only trying to make you angry..."  
  
  
"Yes!" Rowyn cried, bouncing a little in her bonds, "They always taste so much richer when they are in a heated emotional state!"   
  
"Piccolo..."   
  
Piccolo turned to leave, following the younger namekian to the door.   
  
"She could have died you know," Rowyn stated as if observing the weather, "You weren't there to protect her. She could have been killed on that ship. Is that how much you love your daughter?"   
  
"Shut up!" Piccolo growled, but did not turn around. In Dende's eyes he could see her smirking face.   
  
"I suppose it won't really matter anyway," She said, cruelly, enjoying herself, or at the slythwasps were, "After we drain her energy and kill her!"   
  
With a sudden cry Piccolo launched himself at Rowyn, clawed hand gripping her about the throat, squeezing the bones under his grip as he seethed above her, wanting so badly to crush her windpipe and end her life. "Shut up!" He snarled, "If you don't wish to die."   
  
"Piccolo! No!" Dende tugged at his gi, he could feel him there, but he was feeling weaker, strange, vertigo seized him and loosened his grip around Rowyn's slender neck. Too late, he realized what was happening. He could hear laughter, choked but laughter none-the-less, below him. "They were goading you on!"   
  
Dende placed his hands upon Piccolo's shoulders, meaning to try and pull him away, but instead an odd sensation coursed through him. After a beat, he realized that it was his natural healing power working to contridict the weakness and dizziness caused by a slythwasp feeding. Growng stronger, Piccolo snatched his hand from Rowyn's throat and backed away, his breathing coming slower now as he calmed down.   
  
"Thanks, Dende," He nodded at the shorter namek and brushed past him, his white cape billowing out behind him as he went, "I need to be alone."   
  
Dende didn't say anything, he merely turned to look at the shell of Rowyn that their new enemy was now using at it's unofficial headquartors. He approached her slowly, but with purpose, knowing that he had to at leat try to help her, try to force the slythwasps to leave her. She realized what he was doing when he laid one hand upon her brow, the other over her heart and struggled to move away from him.   
  
"No!" She cried, "You will not force us to leave our host!"   
  
"Quiet!" Dende snapped, feeling the power forming within, "Leave her!"   
  
"No!" Rowyn's head jerked to the side as the sythwasp minds inside of her fought to stay in control, "We will eat you alive, boy!"   
  
Dende ignored the taunts and continued, his power slowly forcing the slythwasp minds further and further away, battling off their attempts at feeding from him, untill only Rowyn was left gazing up at him with confused, fear-striken dark eyes.   
  
"D-Dende?" She began, her mouth felt too dry and her throat hurt, "What's happening to me? Why are there all these voices in my head...?"   
  
Dende didn't want to frighten the child. "Shh." He said instead, gaining his feet, "Go to sleep. I'll explain everything later, okay?"   
  
"Okay..." Exhausted, the elf slipped into the blackness of sleep. Dende could only hope it was a sleep not hampered by nightmares of darkness...   
  



	27. Hunger Pangs

Ryven sat on the grass, rubbing a clothe over and over across the blade of her sword absently. Not realizing that the blade had gone passed shiny awhile ago. Not that it could ever really lose it's sheen, magically infused as it was. Her brows were drawn down over storm-dark blue eyes, trying in vain to ignore the voice of worry screaming in her head. 

Beside her, Snowblind waited, as tense as she was, their emotion link a powerful one. She could hear Tel talking with Vegeta and Goku and the others a little ways off and her pointed ears pricked at the sound of thier voices, trying to catch what she could. She knew by their hushed tones that they were speaking about the sythwasps and what to do about them. 

"You kow more about them than we do, Tel," Goku was saying, "Is there anything about them that can help us defeat them?" 

Ryven listened closely. This would be very important information. She had to help. Somehow. She just had to! 

"They do have one weakness," Tel said, she sat on a rock with her legs crossed under, the annoying brat of a princess was off somewhere with Bulma and Chi Chi. If Ryven remembered correctly, they had taken her shopping, which, of course, pleased Yarrah to no end. Ryven shook her head, it was like a child didn't even realize what was going on. She thought, Didn't she realize that she could die? 

"They need to be touching thier victim to drain them," Tel went on, "But they can attack like sharks, a nip here, a tear there, until the prey is complete empty of any type of energy. That's when they go for the blood." 

"Blood?" Goku asked, "What do you mean? I thought you said they drain ki..." 

"They do," Tel agreed, looking grim, her short dark hair having been recently washed and brushed into place upon her head. She wore an orange gi, given to her by Chi Chi, obviously belong to Goku. It was a little large on her, but Chi Chi had pinned the shoulders up so that it didn't fall off her when she moved, "But they drink the blood of thier victims as well. Didn't I mention before about their fangs...they use them to piece the skin. Alot of slythwasps will drink and drain their victim at the same time." 

"How do you know so much about these...creatures?" Vegeta asked, his voice suspicious. 

"Because," She looked down, "My family and world was taken from by them. After that, I spent a great deal of my time getting to know them, if only from a distant." 

"It's good to know your enemy." Vegeta grudgingly praised her in his own way, "That's why I'm still here listening to you drone on and on." 

Ryven watched them and watched to stab her sword through Vegeta's heart. Or at the very least, smack him upside the head with it! She didn't trust Tel as far as she could throw her, but she knew that the information she held was valuable, essential to thier very survival. She wished he wasn't such and...ass. 

Her thoughts drifted to Piccolo and Rowyn. She wondered how they were. She could still feel Piccolo's strong ki from the distance, so she knew he was still alive. Rowyn's however, flickered in and out, growing fainter and then suddenly stronger in turns. She feared for her friend's life and sanity. She hated having been forced to leave them. She felt more than helpless, with nothing to do but wait. Train and wait. 

*** 

They struggled against thier bonds. Breath coming out of their meager little host in great gasping waves due to their efforts. There was always someone there, watching over them. Mostly it was the large green one. The one they wanted more than any other. Though they could feel several strong ki signatures far below... 

Somewhere deep inside her mind, Rowyn watched in horror, waiting, listening, as a million voices whispered a deadly need between her ears. She wanted to climb out of her prison, but she didn't know how. For a few moments, a few nights ago, she'd been able to, but she had been too tired to stay awake and be of any service. The younger namek, Dende, had told her to sleep and she found she could not refuse him. 

They could feel the little elf listening, waiting. They could feel her terror and enjoyed the sensation as one might enjoy a rich peice of chocate. She trembled inside herself and drew her mental form into a ball, folding herself up inside and trying to block out everything, wishing frantically that there was a way to get out of her own skin. 

Piccolo floated near the end of the bed, eyes closed in repose but senses still alert to her every movent. His hands were clasped lightly on his knees and his head bowed slightly. His ears twitched at the sound of her soft growl of frustration and waited until her breathing became less ragged. 

"Your going to hurt yourself if you keep that up." He said simply. 

Instead of answering, she closed her eyes and fell silent. At first Piccolo assumed that the creatures ruling her mind just then had decided they were too weary to go on fighting and went back to his meditations. Then, he felt it, small...soft, like a cat's paw touching his skin. He opened his eyes and looked down at Rowyn's still form, the whites of his eyes large. Rowyn opened her eyes and smiled. 

"What did you do?" Piccolo asked, fear mingled with irritation and anger in his tone as he glared at her, forcing himself to see the slythwasps before him instead of the small, normally docile little girl, "Tell me!" 

Rowyn screamed a silent scream inside her head. No...no...please... 

Outwardly, the being that was not Rowyn laughed in evil glee. They had been calling, scratching at Rowyn's mind for hours now. Hungry. So very hungry. They had no choice. She watched as the slythwasps inside her mind called the others, the physical ones, towards them. She didn't know what would happen to her, being the host, but she was certain that after they were through with her they would have little use for her. 

Rowyn continued to chortle and Piccolo's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What did you do?" He asked slowly, pronouncing each syllable in a carefully measure tone. "Tell me right now!" 

He turned as he heard Dende and Mr. Popo cry out in shock and fear, mouth open in horror as dozens of slythwasps flew through the doorway of the bedroom. They hovered around Piccolo, who floated in a defensive stance in the center of the room, surrounded by them. He thought briefly that this must be what a trout feels like in the middle of a school of sharks. 

He was ready to fight, but knew that they could sap him of his strength and there were so many! His healing ability could only work so fast...so long...Instinctively, he began to power up. Dende appeared in the doorway, shouting; "Piccolo!" 

But, oddly, they did not attack. They merely circled him and seemed to wait, gossamer wings beating fast against his skin, the sound assaulting his ears. He heard a ripping noise and turned to see four of the slythwasps at each of Rowyn's bonds, ripping them apart with their teeth. Free, Rowyn rose once more, the remnants of the bonds falling away from her wrists and ankles.

A strange bluish cast began to surround her, glow from her fingertips to her toes and bath her in it's eerie, unnatural light. With a flick of her wrist, the slythwasps left Piccolo and bowed down low in front of her. Piccolo watched, as she seemed to hold some kind of communion with them, unspoken, silent. 

Then abruptly, she spoke, or rather, the slythwasps spoke through her; "Then it's time. Go! Fed! I will follow and savor in our triumph!" 

The slythwasps let forth a high pitched cry that humans could not catch, but that Piccolo, with his sensitive namekian hearing, cringed at, and blinked, one by one, out of sight. "It has begun, namek." Rowyn grinned down at him, "Though I still hunger for your energy, I will settle for taking my fill from that child of yours. She's filled to the brim with a very strong power." 

With a cry of rage and fear, Piccolo launched himself at Rowyn only to come away with empty air as she had suddenly vanished from sight. 

"No!" Piccolo gasped, he knew exactly where she had gone. Without waiting for Dende to say anything, he touched his fingers to his brow and disapeared as quickly as Rowyn had moments before. He had to get there in time! He just had to! 

Mr. Popo turned to Dende. 

"Mr. Popo doesn't like this one bit..." 

"Me either..." 

"Mr. Popo thinks we are in deep..." 

Sighing, Dende nodded, he couldn't agree more. 


	28. Just In Time

Ryven felt them before she saw them. Snowblind's white ears pricked up and his nose tilted towards the sky, whining he looked at his bond. Standing at the mouth of the cave she normally shared with Piccolo, she placed one hand over her eyes to shield them from the bright afternoon sun and felt her heart grow cold. A dark shadow had begun to grow, coming closer and closer. Automatically, Ryven reached behind her and pulled her sword out, waiting, heart pounding in her ears, blood cold in her veins. 

The shapes were closer now, she could see the ugly ki vampires as they're wings beat against the blue of the sky, mouths half open, fangs dripping spittle. Then she realized they were't alone. Gasping, Ryven saw the smaller, sable-haired elf flying downwards towards her. Her body glowed with an odd light and power seemed to crackle all around her like static, her eyes held a frightening hunger within. 

"R-Rowyn?" Ryven said, her sword raised, but unwilling to strike at her friend, "What are you...I thought you were going to stay with Dende and..." 

Without warning, two of the slythwasps attacked, Ryven moved lightening quick and managed to slice off one's arm before it could dart away with it's fellow, but the monsters touched her and managed to pull from her more of her vital energy. She felt her swordarm weaken a bit and struggled to hold it upright. She remembered what Tel had been saying and jumped clear of three more slythwasps before they could touch her. 

"Wait!" Rowyn's mouth opened but it was not her voice that Ryven heard. The slythwasps all hovered around Ryven, just about to dive onto her and devour her whole, "This one is ours!" 

Sweat dripped from her face and plastered her clothes to her body as she saw the slythwasps move away from her and Rowyn float down to her silently. Backing away, Ryven thought frantically, _I can't let her touch me! I can't let her touch me! _

"Rowyn! Rowyn!" Ryven cried, trying to get through to the girl she knew was still inside the body, inside the mind, of this creature facing her, "Please! It's me, Ryven-chan! Remember? Your friend! You don't have to do this! You can fight them, Rowyn! Please, I don't want to hurt you..." 

"Hurt us?!" Rowyn laughed, "How can you ever think you will be able to harm us?!" 

Ryven raised her sword upwards once more, trying to still the trembling of her hands, "Don't come any closer." 

"If you slash at me with that pigsticker, girl," Rowyn laughed, "It will only make it worse on you." 

Ryven didn't want to hurt Rowyn, she really didn't, but she wasn't about to become a feast for a bunch of leeches! With a sudden scream, she ran headlong into Rowyn, cutting in a downward arc with her weapon. Which Rowyn deflected easily. With a simple movement of her wrist and arm, Rowyn sent the blade twisting out of Ryven's hands and clattering to the ground several feet away. 

She was weaponless and if she engaged her in hand-to-hand, Ryven knew that she would only suffer her ki being drained all that much faster. She backed into the cave wall, desperate, scared. Snowblind growled and whined with her own fear. Then, her heart in her throat, she felt it. She felt him! She saw a flash of green and purple just as Rowyn's hand hovered inches from her face, she could feel her strength leaving her as the fingers came close enough to brush her skin. 

Then, suddenly, Rowyn was jerked backwards roughly. 

"Ryven! Are you all right?" 

"P-Papa! Look out! She's coming back!" Ryven cried, as Rowyn, having been pushed so hard away from Ryven that she ended up over the side of the cliff, came flying back up at breakneck speed, followed by the other leeches, "Don't let them touch you! That's how they tap into your ki!" 

  



	29. Rowyn's Return

Seething, the slythwasps advanced on Piccolo. Ryven saw him rise swiftly above them and raise his hands towards them, with a yell light flashed from his palms, hitting five or six of the creatures as they screamed and exploded. Ryven saw Rowyn's form as she flew upwards towards Piccolo, a gleam in her eyes, hands curled and reaching... 

"No!" Ryven felt her heart pound as a tingling sensation began on her forehead, just beneath her headband, she'd felt it before, it coursed throughout her limbs and pulsated behind her eyes. She gathered herself, launched into the air and drove herself bodily towards Rowyn a moment before her outstretched fingers could brush the side of Piccolo's ear. 

"Get away!" Ryven cried, knocking Rowyn out of the sky, Piccolo turned to her for half a moment, during a lull in trying to get rid of slythwasps and try not to be touched by them as well, to see the familar three glowing interlocked circles upon his daughter's brow. At Rowyn's sudden fall, the other slythwasps hesitated, seeming unsure. 

Ryven flew downwards towards where Rowyn had fallen amid a clutch of trees, her clothing torn and bloody, a look of fear mingled hatred upon her face as she licked blood from her mouth. She didn't wait for Rowyn to say or do anything, jumping the rest of the way to the ground, Ryven leapt upon Rowyn's chest and pushed her down into the earth. She felt Rowyn's fingers clawing her arms, trying to suck the energy from her, teeth clenched in concentration. 

But a strange light had taken over Ryven, acting as a shield against the slythwasps' attack. They cried out in frustration with Rowyn's mouth. They could not understand how something that was formed of the very stuff they survived upon could be used against them in such a way! Ryven held on, she felt the slythwasp minds within Rowyn growing dimmer, weaker. The physical ones, surrounding Piccolo, had begun to fade and dissapear with crackling light, a few lingered and skimmed the air nervously, hungrily, around Ryven and Rowyn. 

Falling downwards, following Ryven's extremely powerful ki signature, Piccolo saw her perched upon Rowyn, both girls glowing nearly to the point of blinding him, the wind around them had begun to move, gathering up leaves and dust into a fearsome wind funnel. He could see it was a battle of wills! 

"Get out of my friend!" Ryven cried, drawing back her arm and backhanding Rowyn hard across the cheek, she didn't want to do it, but she thought the shock might jar the evil inside Rowyn and give her the advantage, "Get...out!" 

Suddenly, Piccolo realized as he watched in muted horror, fearing for their very lives, the light issuing from Rowyn was growing dimmer. Ryven, realizing she was gaining the upper hand, pushed her powers to the limit, forcing the slythwasps farther and farther back until Rowyn cried out with her own voice and tears sprang to her eyes. 

"R-Ryven?!" She screamed, as Ryven moved to let her up, relief washing over her in great waves. But Piccolo was there in a flash, white cape billowing out in the wind of the dying storm. He moved to secure Rowyn's hands and feet with rope he'd materialized. Ryven looked at him in shock. But Piccolo was no fool. He'd tricked once by her seeming to return to normal, but not again! 

"P-Piccolo?" She cried, tears streaking her face, "It's me! I swear it! It's really me! Please untie me! I'm so scared! Ryven? Please? Please..." 

Ryven turned to Piccolo, asking, "Papa, the sythwasps, are they gone for good, do you think?" 

Piccolo felt in his bones that this wasn't the end. "No." He said, shaking his head, "I have a strong feeling they will return." 

Turning towards Rowyn, Piccolo knelt down towards her, reaching out he touched the side of her head with one hand, closing his eyes briefly in an effort to sense something within the elfin girl. After a few moments, he drew away and began to untie her. Ryven watched, the orbs upon her brow having disappeared once more, leaving the flesh between her brows smooth and clear once more, though she could still feel the slight tingling there. 

"They have fled from her," Piccolo said, as Rowyn tried to stand, but as the slythwasps had been using her as a constant source of nourishment, felt too weak and slid back to the earth, "But her mental defenses haven't been trained properly enough to keep them out. If something isn't done about it they will just take her over again when they've regained the strength they lost when you drove them out." 

"What can we do, Papa?" Ryven asked, looking at her friend who was still sobbing, though quieter, upon the ground. 

"I have to teach her," Piccolo said, feeling doubt coursing through his veins like blood as he watched the little one trembling, "But we don't have alot of time! Ryven, you go back to Goku's, stay there!" 

"I can't take care of myself, Papa!" Ryven said, "You know that!" 

"I know," He said, "But I don't want to be worrying about you while I am working with Rowyn, I have a feeling I am going to need all of my attention for the task." 

"It might not be so difficult," Ryven said, "She all ready knows how to speak mind-to-mind..." 

"Yes, she knows how to send and recieve thoughts and feelings," Piccolo agreed, "But her mental barriers are wide open, inviting anything inside, I will show her how to raise up sturdy walls around her mind, walls that can keep the slythwasps and creatures like them out!" 

Piccolo lifted Rowyn's slight weight in his arms and said; "Stay safe. I'm taking her back to the lookout to start on this." 

Ryven nodded, tears in her eyes at having to be without him once more, even if logic told her it wasn't for long and for a good cause. Still, the heart isn't ruled by logic and she missed her Papa all ready. She felt her heart ripping as she watched his cape fluttering in the winds of his wake as he become smaller and smaller against the blue of sky. 


	30. Her Royal Brattiness

Brushing her hair out of her eyes, Ryven tied her headband back around her forehead and looked upwards towards the sky. It was afternoon and she'd been at the Son house for three days now. She wanted to use her mind-link with Piccolo to see how he was coming along with Rowyn's training, but feared disturbing whatever concentration may be needed. Hearing footsteps behind her, she spun about quickly to discover Tel standing a few feet away, her short dark hair wet from a recent shower. 

"It's not over, you know." She said, her voice low, harsh and no little afraid, "They will return and when they do...I plan to be as far from this planet as possible!" 

"Coward!" Ryven hissed, turning away from her, "Running away is easy, isn't it?" 

Tel started, but didn't say anything. She glared at Ryven's slender back and resisted the urge to attack the girl. What was the use? She thought, We're all gonna die anyway! It's stupid to fight amongst each other. She didn't want to die. But more, she didn't want to die _badly_. Which is exactly what would happen to her were she to stay and greet those monsters when they regrouped and showed up here. 

Tel turned around and walked off down the pathway, anger lengthening her stride. She had a meeting with that blue haired woman and she wasn't about to miss it. She knew that she had the key to getting her and the Princess off of this planet. Ryven watched her go and flew up into the sky, needing to find a place to be alone and think for awhile. She ignored Chi Chi's screams at her from the doorway to come back down. 

Finding a quiet area where the land spread out all around like an earth-toned blanket, Ryven unstrapped her sword from her back and laid it down in the shade of some type of sticker plant. She spent a few moments stretching and going over some of the more basic punches and kicks Piccolo had taught her, losing herself in the action and calming her mind at the same time. Though she still couldn't help but wonder how Piccolo and Rowyn were doing. 

~*~*~

"Sit down." Piccolo instructed, they were in a private room sealed off from the rest of the lookout. Rowyn, nervous, did as she was told, folding her legs under herself and sitting on the floor in the same manner as Piccolo. Reaching out, he took her hands in his own, so that they were clasped between then and told her to close her eyes and breathe. "Don't try to think of anything, Rowyn. Just concentrate on your breathing." 

By holding onto her hands, Rowyn knew, they would form a link and he was better able to help her via that link. After a few moments, her breathing became her only focus and she felt herself growing sleepy. Piccolo released one of her hands momentarly and she felt him smack her across the side of the head, jarring her awake. "Don't fall alseep! You need to stay conscience for this, Rowyn. Now, try again. Focus on your breathing." 

Her aching head helping her stay awake and concentrate on breathing, Rowyn felt herself slip into an altered state of being. Looking around, she knew that Piccolo was still with her, she could feel her body where it sat, motionless, his strong calloused hands still holding onto her own betweent them, but she also felt she was far away from her physical self. She jumped when she saw shadows flickering on the outskirts of her eyes, in the background, more of less. 

Frightened, she tried to slip back into her body and come out of it, but she felt a hand on her shoulder and paused. The shadows became clearer, scratching at what seemed to be invisible walls, saliva dripping from pointed teeth, dark eyes glaring hungrily as they tried, frantically, to get to her. Whimpering, Rowyn tried to hide behind Piccolo just as a long crack appeared in the invisable wall as the slythwasps banged at it to break through. 

"Rowyn. Stay." Piccolo said, "You have the power to stop them, you just need to know how!" 

"I...I can't!" She cried, terrified they would break through her fragile barriers and possess her once more. Grasping handfuls of Piccolo's gi near his waist, she cried, "P-please! I...can't do this! They're breaking through!" 

"Calm down, Rowyn!" He barked, prying her fingers from his clothing, "Now. Stop being foolish and concentrate! Don't think of anything but building up the walls around your mind. Tap into your inner strength and make them too strong to break through!" 

Crying, Rowyn gasped between sobs, the slythwasp shadows tearing and clawing, almost through, almost upon them...upon her, she took a deep breath and struggled to call forth images of sturdy barriers, walls to keep the evilness out and away from her. It seemed to work for awhile. The invisable walls around them seemed to glow and grow thicker. The cracks sealing up as if by some hand spreading out a wrinkle in a peice of clothe. Panting, sweat dripping into her face, the little elf sank to her knees in absorption. 

Then....

She cried out as the walls around them began to shatter and crack, falling inward towards them as they both, instictivally, raised their arms to sheild themselves from the flying shards of glass. With a cry of delight, the slythwasps launched themselves straight for Piccolo and Rowyn. Screaming, Rowyn felt heself being spun about into darkness. Gasping, Piccolo opened his eyes and let go of her hands. Her scream still ringing in his ears, Piccolo looked across at her and saw her eyes were wide and her mouth was open in terror. 

Shaking her once, she snapped out of it and looked down, ashamed of her weakness. "I'm sorry, I couldn't do it. I just couldn't make them strong enough..." 

"Stop it!" Piccolo snapped, eyes narrow, "You are going to do this, Rowyn, not because I think you can, but because you _can_ and because you _have_ to." 

"But..." 

"I don't have time to listen to you whine." He said, "Now, close your eyes and you better do it right, this time." 

~*~*~

Meanwhile...

Glaring at the televsion set, wishing he could just blast the stupid thing into a million pieces, Vegeta sat in one of the overstuffed pastel chairs, his feet on the matching ottoman, eyes on the set. He was watching some show that involved people doing incredicably retarded things for money or fame. He wished they'd all just break their necks and end their pitiful lives once and for all. His mind kept wandering towards the slythwasp problem though, and growled in his throat. He wasn't afraid of them. No, it was more like he was wishing they'd hurry up and show themselves so he could put an end to them. 

__

Not that it's going to be any less dull than it is around here now, He thought, catching sight of something from the corner of his eye, _killing them probably won't even make me break a sweat_. The kid came walking into the room, her nose in the air, wearing an outfit that obviously belonged to Goten or was it Trunks'. He didn't know. Nor did he care. Maybe it had been Gohan's. Yes, that seemed more likely. She was dressed in an over-sized white boy's dress shirt and slacks that had been hemmed quickly so that she could walk without tripping. She looked more than goofy in them and Vegeta did not hide his smirk as he glared over at her. 

"What are you looking at?" She said, haughtily, "It just so happens I had to leave all my things behind and my tailor was killed on ship! Your wife said she'd take me shopping soon but for now this is all she could do!" Yarrah sat down on the sofa and sighed, "Why do things like this always happen to me! I shouldn't be here on this stupid planet! I should be home, awaiting the crowning ceremony!" 

"Shut up," Vegeta said, "I'm trying to watch this stupid show." 

"H-how dare you!" She cried, "I am The Princess Yarrah Vesta Palena Urianah Theliah of Redshale! You shall speak to me properly, you..." 

In a flash, so quick she didn't have time to think, Yarrah felt the hand about her slender throat, being lifted off the ground so that her feet dangled. She looked down into Vegeta's narrow dark eyes and felt the power issuing off of him and sudden fear won over royal brattiness. "Don't ever talk to me in that manner again, brat, or I'll snap your neck like a twig. Am I understood.?" 

She glared, but he merely held her tighter and, before her air was completely gone and she blacked out, she nodded frantically. He let her go and she fell in a heap to the floor by the sofa, clutching her neck and coughing. After a few moments she scrambled out of the room. Vegeta, satisified that he'd gotten his point across, sank back into the chair and turned his attention once more toward the idiotic show. 

A few seconds later his ears rang as Bulma's voice screeched his name. 

"Vegeta!" 

Huffing under his breath, Vegeta turned and stalked out of the room. 


End file.
